gms | German Medical Science

Physical activity and successful aging
10th International EGREPA Conference

European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity

14.09. - 16.09.2006 in Köln

Clinical use of virtual reality systems in physical rehabilitation

Meeting Abstract

Search Medline for

  • corresponding author R. Brown - Beit Rivka Geriatric Rehabilitation Center, Israel
  • A. Burstin - Beit Rivka Geriatric Rehabilitation Center, Israel

Physical activity and successful aging. Xth International EGREPA Conference. Cologne, 14.-16.09.2006. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2006. Doc06pasa117

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/pasa2006/06pasa117.shtml

Published: December 18, 2006

© 2006 Brown et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

Introduction

Community-living older people have high rates of functional decline and disability. Because disability is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, interventions to prevent functional decline in this population are needed. In geriatric rehabilitation, most of the population is impaired neurological and orthopedic patients. Health care professionals need to recognize who has a problem, to determine when interventions are necessary and often what those interventions should be, in order to select outcome measures, to predict physical function, and to plan for the public health needs of older adults. Virtual Reality (VR) provides a unique medium suited to the achievement of several requirements for effective rehabilitation intervention. Specifically, VR therapy can be provided within a functional, purposeful and motivating context. Many VR applications present opportunities for individuals to participate in experiences, which are engaging and rewarding. In addition to the value of the rehabilitation experience for the user, both therapists and users benefit from the ability to readily grade and document the therapeutic intervention using various systems. In VR, advanced technologies are used to produce simulated, interactive and multi-dimensional environments. Visual interfaces including desktop monitors and head-mounted displays (HMDs), haptic interfaces, and real-time motion tracking devices are used to create environments allowing users to interact with images and virtual objects in real-time through multiple sensory modalities. Opportunities for object manipulation and body movement through virtual space provide frameworks that, in varying degrees, are perceived as comparable to similar opportunities in the real world. The recent advances in Virtual Reality (VR) technology make it available for use in the clinical field. This creates appropriate surroundings to facilitate achievement of important goals which are impossible to achieve in a regular treatment set. VR devices can be widely used in the geriatric population in a rehabilitation setting with a high level of compliance and motivation, even in very demanding physical and cognitive functional tasks.

Program

The workshop including active demonstration and videotaped treatments, techniques and examinations. The program is suitable for physiatrists, physical therapists and occupational therapists. Different software applications and equipment will be presented and discussed:

  • Overview of the following topics.
  • Basic concepts in Virtual Reality.
  • Description and demonstration of common equipment.
  • Demonstration of a Virtual Reality treatment.

Panel discussion

Upon completion of the workshop, the participants will be able to:

1.
Fully comprehend basic concepts of virtual reality as related to the treatment of diverse neuromuscular diseases and balance disorders.
2.
Present updated methods to assess senso-motor, cognitive and attention disorders in the context of physiotherapy, medicine and rehabilitation.