Psychological Benefits of Virtual Reality for Patients in Rehabilitation Therapy

Abstract

Context:Whether virtual rehabilitation is beneficial has not been determined.Objective:To investigate the psychological benefits of virtual reality in rehabilitation.Design:An experimental group underwent therapy with a virtual-reality-based exercise bike, and a control group underwent the therapy without virtual-reality equipment.Setting:Hospital laboratory.Patients:30 patients suffering from spinal-cord injury.Intervention:A designed rehabilitation therapy.Main Outcome Measures:Endurance, Borg's rating-of-perceived-exertion scale, the Activation–Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD-ACL), and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire.Results:The differences between the experimental and control groups were significant for AD-ACL calmness and tension.Conclusion:A virtual-reality-based rehabilitation program can ease patients' tension and induce calm.