Virtual Reality for Upper Limb Stroke Rehabilitation
A Quality Improvement Study Evaluating Patient Outcomes and Clinical Feasibility
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54337/aau.icdvrat26.04Abstract
Upper limb impairment affects most stroke survivors, yet routine rehabilitation often provides far fewer repetitions than the 300–800 movements linked to neuroplastic change. This extended abstract reports a dual-phase Quality Improvement study examining whether a commercial, controller-free virtual reality system could increase therapy dose in an acute stroke unit without unacceptable workflow burden. Four stroke patients completed matched 30-minute conventional occupational therapy and VR sessions, while 18 occupational therapists assessed feasibility through usability scales, competency checks, and interviews. VR produced 200–500% more repetitions, median 354%, with positive feedback, no adverse events, and good usability, though supervised practice remained necessary afterwards.
References
Adams, R., Lichter, M., Krepkovich, E., Ellington, A., White, M. & Diamond, P. (2015), ‘Assessing upper extremity motor function in practice of virtual activities of daily living’, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 23(2), 287–296.
Birkenmeier, R., Prager, E. & Lang, C. (2010), ‘Translating animal doses of task-specific training to people with chronic stroke in 1-hour therapy sessions: a proof-of-concept study’, Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 24(7), 620–635.
Bui, J., Luaut´e, J. & Farn`e, A. (2021), ‘Enhancing upper limb rehabilitation of stroke patients with virtual reality: a mini review’, Frontiers in Virtual Reality 2, 595771.
Enr´ıquez-Canto, Y., Pizarro-Mena, R., Ludue˜na-Hern´andez, K., Alexandre-Vergara, K., Riveros-Basoalto, G. & Dresdner-Figueroa, A. (2025), ‘Use of virtual reality in upper extremity rehabilitation of adults after stroke and its effect on functionality: systematic review and meta-analysis’, Physical Therapy 105(9), pzaf103.
Hao, J., Crum, G. & Siu, K.-C. (2024), ‘Effects of virtual reality on stroke rehabilitation: an umbrella review of systematic reviews’, Health Science Reports 7(9), e70082.
Lang, C., MacDonald, J., Reisman, D., Boyd, L., Jacobson Kimberley, T., Schindler-Ivens, S., Hornby, T., Ross, S. & Scheets, P. (2009), ‘Observation of amounts of movement practice provided during stroke rehabilitation’, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 90(10), 1692–1698.
Lang, C., Strube, M., Bland, M., Waddell, K., Cherry-Allen, K., Nudo, R., Dromerick, A. & Birkenmeier, R. (2016), ‘Dose-response of task-specific upper limb training in people at least 6 months post stroke: A phase ii, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial’, Annals of Neurology 80(3), 342–354.
Langhorne, P., Bernhardt, J. & Kwakkel, G. (2011), ‘Stroke rehabilitation’, The Lancet 377(9778), 1693–1702.
Newton, S., Dalton, E., Ang, J., Klaic, M., Thijs, V. & Hayward, K. (2023), ‘Dose, content, and context of usual care in stroke upper limb motor interventions: a systematic review’, Clinical Rehabilitation 37(11), 1437–1450.
Patel, M., Serrada, I. & Hordacre, B. (2026), ‘Does more rehabilitation lead to better upper limb outcomes after stroke? a systematic review’, Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences 7, 1753677.
Proulx, C., Louis Jean, M., Higgins, J. & Gagnon, D. (2025), ‘Bridging research and practice: a preliminary detailed analysis of current upper limb occupational therapy dose and content in publicly funded poststroke rehabilitation’, Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation 7(4), 100525.
