TAMARAC, Fla. – On average, a physical therapy clinic in the U.S. sees up to 200 patients a week, helping people with a variety of injuries regain the best possible function.
Now, virtual reality technology is allowing patients to recover even faster.
It can happen in an instant.
An injury due to an accident, repetitive motion, or a sudden health issue like a stroke, leaves someone unable to function the way they used to.
Once the initial injury is addressed, physical rehab becomes a vital part of the recovery process.
“Here at our acute in-patient rehab, we offer a multi-disciplinary approach so it’s physical therapy, occupational therapy, and sometimes speech services and really there here, they do three hours of therapy a day to help get them back to their daily life,” said Aubrey Martinez, Director of Rehabilitation at HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital.
That includes a new virtual reality device.
“At the end of the day we’re always looking for evidence-based tools and virtual reality is something that a lot of evidence and research has been showing especially with our neurological patients,” Martinez said.
It’s not a replacement but rather an adjunct to traditional physical therapy.
“And we recently got this device and it’s really amazing because it has not only the goggle system but it has sensors on your extremities so it’s more real-time feedback for the patient,” Martinez said.
An added benefit of the device is that it’s mobile so it can be brought to the patients at bedside.
The level of challenge can also be adjusted to fit each individual’s needs and abilities.
“Because if you’re over challenged you might just give up so we want to make sure that in real time we can adjust that for our patients and make it fun and engaging at the same time,” Martinez said.
The virtual reality rehabilitation device can be used for physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, making it an important tool across the different disciplines.