Virtual Reality is known for probably most of the people as the large VR glasses that you put on your head. There are also two connected joysticks which you use for interaction within the Virtual World. And when applying the VR glasses to your head, you can emerge into every possible world, landscape or game you can think of. Where VR is indeed widely used for entertainment purposes, in recent years is has gained attention and recognition as a good tool for cognitive research, evaluation and rehabilitation. And a relatively new area where Virtual Reality can be very useful is in neurological rehabilitation (Schiza et al., 2019).
So, what is actually needed for neurological rehabilitation? The first answer should be: movement. Movement and repeating the same movements is essential for neurological rehabilitation and will lead to recovery to a greater or lesser extent. But an important aspect of the movement is actually the goal it pursues. For patients to recover in a better way, it is important that they not only just to carry out the movements, but also do that with a purpose. This is where VR comes into play. VR makes it possible to create every possible situation, at any possible rehabilitation place, without having to actually physically build a rehabilitation sight. People can basically emerge into any desired information from their own living room.
There are a couple of other examples for why VR can be used for rehabilitation for neurological damage. Virtual Reality, for example, makes it possible to adjust the situation on difficulty and complexity, adapted to every individual patient. Another benefit is complete control of the rehabilitation process, with continuous feedback and data processing. Also the therapist has full control over the situation, meaning that they can easily guide the patient during the process and see where improvements may apply (Riva et al, 2020). All the above mentioned reasons contribute to a growing traction of VR entering the world of neurological rehabilitation, and actually becoming a successful technique to help patients to recover from their injury.
References
Riva , G., Mancuso, V., Cavedoni, S. & Stramba-Badiale, C. (2020) Virtual reality in neurorehabilitation: a review of its effects on multiple cognitive domains. Expert review of Medical Devices, Vol. 17(10), pages 1035-1061
Schiza, E., Matsangidou, M., Neokleous, K. & Pattichis, C. (2019) Virtual Reality Applications for Neurological Disease: A Review. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, Vol. 6
