Virtual reality as a supplement to traditional rehabilitation after strokes: a preliminary study on therapy...

Aim: To assess whether virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation would be an effective adjunct to standard therapy in improving outcomes in stroke patients. The secondary objective was to investigate whether VR therapy would improve quality of life and reduce pain levels compared to traditional rehabilitation.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted with stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation at the Department of Rehabilitation and Orthopedics. The collected data were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group that received VR-assisted rehabilitation and a control group that received only conventional rehabilitation for two weeks, six days a week. The outcome measures in determining the effectiveness of rehabilitation were the EQ-5D and VAS scales.

Results: There were no significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of quality of life and pain scores. However, both groups showed improvement over time, indicating overall effectiveness of the rehabilitation. The experimental group showed significant improvement in pain reduction, suggesting a beneficial effect of VR therapy. The small sample size limited the detection of significant differences between groups.

Conclusions: VR-assisted rehabilitation may help reduce pain in stroke patients, but its impact on overall quality of life remains uncertain. Further studies with larger groups and longer follow-up are needed to fully understand the potential of VR to improve conventional rehabilitation practices.