Virtual Technology: A New Approach to Physical Therapy

The unlikely merge between computer technology and physical therapy has opened a door to a completely new outlook on rehabilitation. Many physical therapy clinics across the world are successfully experimenting with this new method of rehabilitation. This method involves performing therapy in a controlled, virtual environment which very closely mimics a video game. Not only do these systems vary in design, but they usually consist of a life-size video projection screen, speakers, sensors that attach to the patient’s body, and a very complex software system. Once the sensors are attached, the patients find themselves immersed in a virtual reality video game. Several “games” in this complex computer system target a variety of workouts and therapy programs for different patients. This system provides such an experience that some people often forget that they are in a physical therapy session. While patients participate in these games, they are working out their injured muscles and tissues through both simple and sometimes complex movements, which aid in their recovery. The “levels” of the games are workout routines set by the physical therapists, and the “points” that the patient receives are used to monitor progress. Many benefits are already being documented from the use of this new type of rehabilitation.

A report was conducted two weeks ago by the Fox News Network that discussed a teen by the name of Merril Backounds (pictured to the left), who received rehabilitation through one of these virtual gym programs. Merril suffered a sever ankle sprain while playing soccer that kept her out of the game for months. Her physical therapy was done at Cleveland Clinic, which calls itself “the world’s first virtual only gym.” Barry French, the creator of this virtual gym, argues that the gaming generation is addicted to video games and that this form of rehabilitation is nothing more than a life size game “good for the body.” To receive the proper therapy, Merril’s therapist programmed an exercise program, or level, into the computer system which was specifically designed to help strengthen her ankle. Merril attached a special belt which gave off an infrared signal that acted like a controller to a video game system. The belt communicated with the game and allowed the computer simulator to monitor her movements, as well as put her into the game. Some therapists argue that the problem with younger patients is that the therapy is a lot of work and it usually comes off as being boring. Merril commented that “this type of physical therapy was fun and felt more like a social event rather than therapy”. The virtual gym provided her with a speedy and enjoyable recovery, which often is not associated with typical physical rehabilitation.

Other benefits were shown in a report documented in mid December by MSNBC which involved another version of this virtual reality rehabilitation (pictured to the right). The computer system is found at the Chaim Sheba Rehabilitation Hospital near Tel Aviv, Israel. The system is designed and used to help disabled patients, many of whom were wounded during the war last summer with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. The system is very similar to the one found in the Cleveland Clinic; it is a virtual reality system in which the patient acts as the “joystick” to the video game. With twelve high speed infrared cameras, a moving platform that reacts to patient’s weight distribution, tiny sensors that are placed on the patients’ body, and a life sized 3-D projection screen, this $650,000 computer system should not be underestimated. The system forces patients to use damaged muscles while teaching them basic skills necessary to recover. Zvulun Muola, one of the patients whose legs are partially paralyzed, stated that the system “gives more confidence… it improves stability and helps the patient trust himself.” Doctors who use the system argue that it makes the rehabilitation process easier for the patient because it distracts them from the pain. They also concluded that the system can cut rehabilitation times. Another patient, Idan Borovski, commented that, “For one thing it was fun… You are actually in a game. You are playing. You don’t notice the pain and you can work harder.” This is the goal of the system; as Dr. Itzhak Siev-Ner, head of orthopedic rehab at Sheba, puts it, “the video game scenarios distract the patient from pain and involve more complex coordination than normal physical therapy. The system helps to strengthen muscles, to improve stability, balance, and to translate it to everyday life.” The future possibilities and applications for this technology are endless. Many new systems, just like the ones described, are being built all across the world. The future looks so promising that maybe one day these virtual reality rehabilitation systems will be standard equipment for physical therapy clinics worldwide.