Rida Faraz

As researchers explore the use of VR in different health applications, they have found a strong use case in the physical therapy realm. A couple of researchers, in collaboration with KairosXR, developed their own VR Physical Therapy (VR-PT) program for lower extremity injuries and found that patients received the technology well. Their VR-PT program involved a series of training sessions, games, and a progress dashboard for three common physical therapy exercises.

This setup was tested on 15 patients with lower extremity injuries, and the majority of them had a positive review of the program. The results of the study found that people preferred VR-PT over traditional PT and were even willing to replace the traditional exercises entirely.

These findings have major implications for the physical therapy space, as the use of technology in the process can significantly facilitate data collection and monitoring. This technology also breaks down barriers for patients, allowing them to receive physical therapy even if they cannot afford personal physical therapists or access in-person visits. Before the technology can be adopted, however, researchers need to overcome the lack of personalization that a generalized VR gaming system may present.

This Case Study is part of a larger essay on Simulations Overcoming Disability.

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