As VR technology expands, Virtual reality rehabilitation is becoming a more popular for clients who are seeking complement to traditional rehabilitation therapies.
These include:
- Motor skill retrain
- PTSD
- Balance or coordination deficits training
- Fear of height exposure training
- Psychotherapy
- Public speaking exposure training
and many more...etc
Reshape Neuroplasticity
The right therapy can new brain cells around a damaged area and regain function and mobility. Virtual reality system can help clients achieve this.
Active presence VR experience can also keep record of any physiological and kinematic responses, giving clients measurable progress over time.
Body Coordination Training
Virtual reality can be used to help people with physical limitations enjoy the activities they once found challenging. These technology allows patients to improve cognitive functions, muscle strengthening, memory retention and build motivation triggers during workouts that will increase functional outcomes.
These include:
- Seated exercise
- Balance
- Wheelchair propulsion and control
- Walking
- Upper extremity
- Cardio
PTSD Treament
VRET (Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment) helps people who have experienced trauma overcome their fears. In this process, they are exposed to the memories or situations which provoke anxiety.
These structured VRET exercises allow clients an opportunity to re-experience immersive things that recreate the traumatic experience through smells, sights, sounds or vibrations. These are designed to help you confront your fears in a safe controlled environment
A setting full sensory input is required for this process because it helps trigger what's going on inside our heads. Then the client will discuss these immersive experiences with your therapist. Medication and training in coping skills may also be used in conjunction with therapy.
Public Speaking Exposure Therapy
This is just like the VRET, where the client can experience an immersive room scale speaking environment to treat PSA (Public Speaking Anxiety).
Study shows increased self-exposure to virtual social threats from VRET is able relieve anxiety and reduce subjective feelings of stress. In another word, reduction in heartrate and self-reported anxiety and arousal when speaking in front of people.
Fear Of Height Exposure Therapy
A well designed VR experience can help to reduce the fear of height and falling.
It affects 5% to 7 percent in the general population and up until now there were no treatments available but new research has shown that exposure therapy can help with this condition by putting someone who fears high places under guidance until adapting throughout each session.
For most people, the greatest nightmare would be being stuck at eye level. VR can provide gradual changes into more challenging situations while providing supportive verbal encouragement to reduce height anxiety.
One of the most popular one is flight simulator VR training
