scholarly journals Immersive virtual reality in children with upper limb injuries: Findings from a feasibility study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Ivan Phelan ◽  
Penny J. Furness ◽  
Heather D Dunn ◽  
Alicia Carrion-Plaza ◽  
Maria Matsangidou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Range Of Motion ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Outpatient Rehabilitation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Limb Injuries ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Rehabilitation Exercises

PURPOSE: Children who sustain Upper Limb Injuries (ULIs), including fractures and burns, may undergo intensive rehabilitation. The discomfort of therapy can reduce their compliance, limit their range of motion (ROM) and lead to chronic pain. Virtual Reality (VR) interventions have been found to reduce anticipated and procedural pain. This feasibility study aimed to explore perceptions and impacts of a custom-made, fully immersive Head-Mounted Display VR (HMD-VR) experience within a United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service (NHS) outpatient rehabilitation service for children with ULIs. METHODS: Ten children aged 9–16 in one UK Children’s hospital trialled HMD-VR during one rehabilitation session. They, their parents (n = 10), and hospital physiotherapy staff (n = 2) were interviewed about their perceptions of pain, difficulty, enjoyability, therapeutic impacts, benefits, and limitations. Children rated the sessions on enjoyability, difficulty, and pain compared to usual rehabilitation exercises. Physiotherapists were asked to provide range of motion readings. RESULTS: Inductive thematic analysis of interview data generated three themes, ‘Escape through Engagement’; ‘Enhanced Movement’; and ‘Adaptability and Practicality’. Children rated the session as more enjoyable, less difficult and painful than their usual rehabilitation exercises. Findings suggested that HMD-VR was an engaging, enjoyable experience that distracted children from the pain and boredom of therapy. Also, it seemed to enhance the movement they achieved. Participants perceived it was useful for rehabilitation and adaptable to individual needs and other patient groups. Suggestions were made to increase adaptability and build in practical safeguards. CONCLUSION: Findings from this small-scale feasibility study suggested HMD-VR was perceived as usable, acceptable, and effective with potential for further development. Future work could include larger scale trials.

scholarly journals STUDY PROTOCOL The effect of a telerehabilitation virtual reality intervention on functional upper limb activities in people with multiple sclerosis: A study protocol for the TEAMS pilot randomized controlled trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alon Kalron ◽  
Anat Achiron ◽  
Massimiliano Pau ◽  
Eleonora Cocco
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Conventional Therapy ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Approximately 60% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) suffer from upper limb dysfunction. Our primary goal is to implement a single-blind, randomized control trial (RCT) designed to compare the effectiveness of an 8-week home-based telerehab virtual reality (VR) program with conventional therapy in PwMS with manual dexterity difficulties. Secondary aims include: a) evaluating the impact of the programs on quality of life after the intervention and a follow up 1 month later; and b) evaluating the impact of the programs on adherence and satisfaction. Methods: Twenty-four PwMS will be recruited to the study which will be conducted at two established MS centers: (1) The Regional Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, Binaghi Hospital, Cagliari, Italy; (2) The Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel. Participants will complete a total of three assessments focusing on upper limb functions. Both groups will receive 16 training sessions focusing on functional upper limb activities. The home-based telerehab VR intervention will comprise a custom-made software program running on a private computer or laptop. PwMS will perform several activities of daily living (ADL) functions associated with self-care, dressing and meal preparation. Conventional therapy will focus on task-related upper-limb treatments while in a sitting position, indicative of the standard care in MS. Following 8-weeks of training, participants will complete a further outcome assessment. The same tests will be conducted 1 month (as a follow-up) after completion of the intervention. Discussion: The outcomes of this study have tremendous potential to improve the quality of evidence and informed decisions of functional upper limb activities in PwMS. If comparable results are found between the treatments in improving upper limb outcomes, this would suggest that PwMS can choose the program that best meets their personal needs, e.g., financial concerns, transportation or accessibility issues. Secondly, this information can be used by healthcare providers and medical professionals in developing upper limb exercise programs that will most likely succeed in PwMS. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04032431. Registered on 19 July 2019.

scholarly journals Theoretical Rationale for Design of Tasks in a Virtual Reality-Based Exergame for Rehabilitation Purposes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Peder Vatshelle Bovim ◽  
Lauritz Valved ◽  
Bendik Bleikli ◽  
Atle Birger Geitung ◽  
Harald Soleim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Falls Prevention ◽  
Double Support ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Selection Tasks ◽  
Perceptual Abilities ◽  
Base Of Support

Virtual reality games are playing a greater role in rehabilitation settings. Previously, commercial games have dominated, but increasingly, bespoke games for specific rehabilitation contexts are emerging. Choice and design of tasks for VR-games are still not always clear, however; some games are designed to motivate and engage players, not necessarily with the facilitation of specific movements as a goal. Other games are designed specifically for the facilitation of specific movements. A theoretical background for the choice of tasks seems warranted. As an example, we use a game that was designed in our lab: VR Walk. Here, the player walks on a treadmill while wearing a head-mounted display showing a custom-made virtual environment. Tasks include walking on a glass bridge across a drop, obstacle avoidance, narrowing path, walking in virtual footsteps, memory, and selection tasks, and throwing and catching objects. Each task is designed according to research and theory from movement science, exercise science, and cognitive science. In this article, we discuss how for example walking across a glass bridge gives perceptual challenges that may be suitable for certain medical conditions, such as hearing loss, when perceptual abilities are strained to compensate for the hearing loss. In another example, walking in virtual footsteps may be seen as a motor and biomechanical constraint, where the double support phase and base of support can be manipulated, making the task beneficial for falls prevention. In a third example, memory and selection tasks may challenge individuals that have cognitive impairments. We posit that these theoretical considerations may be helpful for the choice of tasks and for the design of virtual reality games.

scholarly journals The Effect of a Telerehabilitation Virtual Reality Intervention on Functional Upper Limb Activities in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Study Protocol for the TEAMS Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alon Kalron ◽  
Anat Achiron ◽  
Massimiliano Pau ◽  
Eleonora Cocco
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Conventional Therapy ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Approximately 60% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) suffer from upper limb dysfunction. Our primary goal is to implement a single-blind, randomized control trial (RCT) designed to compare the effectiveness of an 8-week home-based telerehab virtual reality (VR) program with conventional therapy in PwMS with manual dexterity difficulties. Secondary aims include: a) evaluating the impact of the programs on quality of life after the intervention and a follow up 1 month later; and b) evaluating the impact of the programs on adherence and satisfaction. Methods: Twenty-four PwMS will be recruited to the study which will be conducted at two established MS centers: (1) The Regional Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, Binaghi Hospital, Cagliari, Italy; (2) The Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel. Participants will complete a total of three assessments focusing on upper limb functions. Both groups will receive 16 training sessions focusing on functional upper limb activities. The home-based telerehab VR intervention will comprise a custom-made software program running on a private computer or laptop. PwMS will perform several ADL functions associated with self-care, dressing and meal preparation. Conventional therapy will focus on task-related upper-limb treatments while in a sitting or prone position, indicative of the standard care in MS. Following 8-weeks of training, participants will complete a further outcome assessment. The same tests will be conducted 1 month (as a follow-up) after completion of the intervention. Discussion: The outcomes of this study have tremendous potential to improve the quality of evidence and informed decisions of functional upper limb activities in PwMS. If comparable results are found between the treatments in improving upper limb outcomes, this would suggest that PwMS can choose the program that best meets their personal needs, e.g., financial concerns, transportation or accessibility issues. Secondly, this information can be used by healthcare providers and medical professionals in developing upper limb exercise programs that will most likely succeed in PwMS.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04032431. Registered on 19 July 2019.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document