With all of the advancements in medical technology, would you believe that virtual reality is being used to help patients during physical therapy? The purpose of physical therapy is to help stimulate a patient's brain so neural pathways can be formed, which helps improve a patient's ability to move like they used to. By incorporating virtual reality into physical therapy, patients see the following benefits.
Targeted Therapy Plans
Using virtual reality for physical therapy is not as simple as having someone play the latest game made for the VR headset. It actually involves creating a targeted therapy plan for each patient that will focus on the movements they need to get better at. Having specialists help form this plan is definitely something that would be difficult to do on your own.
Reduced Monotony
Anyone that has done physical therapy will tell you that the process is quite repetitive, with going through similar routines that are designed to improve parts of your body. This can make it a challenge for any patient, because of the monotony of doing the same thing every single day. Virtual reality provides a way for patients to do something new, break up the routine, and even be something they look forward to doing during their physical therapy.
Improved Motivation
Having a patient play a game also will improve their motivation during physical therapy. That is because the goal during a typical physical therapy session is quite basic. You are trying to do an exercise a set number of times, walk to a specific point, or achieve a goal that is simple.
Virtual reality allows someone to focus on a new goal, which can make them more motivated. It could be to get a new high score, to finish a level, and do something they wouldn't normally be able to do in real life. It puts their focus on something else and potentially helps them use their arms or their legs in natural ways without necessarily thinking about it.
Improved Recovery
By incorporating new and exciting ways to perform physical therapy, patients are going to see an improved recovery. It may help them reach their goals faster, increase their range of motion, and generally see benefits that they wouldn't see by not using it. Some patients may even be motivated to try virtual reality at home, which gets them up and moving instead of being sedative.
To learn more, contact a company like AppliedVR.
After living with a chronic medical condition for a few years, I realized that I had to do something differently. I talked with my doctor about the issues I was facing, and he prescribed some medical equipment that would help me to get around a little easier at home. Although I wasn't sure how things would work, I knew I was in the best care, and so I headed home and waited for the supplies to arrive. After a few hours, I was all set up at home with supplies that dramatically improved my mobility. I wanted to start a little website about medical equipment, so read more here.