Psychological Benefits of Virtual Reality for Patients in Rehabilitation Therapy

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.