Paleblue announces the development of a VR (Virtual Reality) toolset for physical therapy. We have expanded our technology platform, which has already been successful in other industries, and now offers a great potential in conventional and unconventional healthcare.

PaleBlue has spoken to various healthcare professionals, such as physical and occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, as well as geriatric and palliative specialists to discuss the advantages of this technology, with overwhelming feedback. Felix Gorbatsevich, the Managing Director of PaleBlue, said: “VR Physical Therapy technology and exercises enhance the physical therapy rehabilitation for patients of all ages, so they can continue their progress in achieving their functional goals along with overall better physical and mental wellness. The use of Virtual Reality allows a broader range of activities to be offered in hospital and rehabilitation settings, while being user friendly and a more cost‐effective way of providing assessment and intervention. “

You may wonder, what’s so interesting about it? And, why have VR in the medical industry? VR technology is on the rise and fairly a new technology that requires lots of developments and research. Additionally, developing VR toolset for physical therapy is taking the technology to a different level. The technology has lots of potential and more to offer than you might think, including in Physical Therapy.

What is VR Physical Therapy and how can it change healthcare?

If we take strokes as an example, it kills roughly 140,000 Americans each year, over a million in Europe, and makes countless patients unable to move body parts. However, stroke isn’t the only one that makes people go to a physiotherapist. The current healthcare system and physiotherapist are in a challenging phase to help all these patients through their rehabilitation process.

Here comes the VR technology, that uses technology to create a simulated environment. It also uses motion capture technology, allowing a user to interact with the Virtual Reality and become part of it. A recent systematic review found that stroke survivors who received occupational therapy became significantly more independent in personal and instrumental ADL (activities of daily living) than those receiving no occupational therapy or usual care.

With few guidelines and a VR headset provided by the therapist, patients can become physiotherapists for themselves, which saves time and increases the efficiency of the current medical industry. Using VR technology, the patient can interact with the customized world, see others exercise and follow them as guides, play games that help rehabilitate the disabled or injured parts of the body, and all of that from the comfort of their home.

Key Benefits of VR Physical Therapy for Patients

Customizable
The VR Physical Therapy platform is highly customizable for each patient. It can be re-programmed to make different Virtual Reality to interact with, set a manual goal and personalized exercises.

Multitasking
Patients are capable of listening to music or radio while exercising using an integrated world inside a VR at the same time. The VR system will multitask by itself and alert them about what’s next.

Reminders
VR is capable of sending reminders to a patient’s device when it’s time for rehabilitation exercise. This way, the patient feels independent, as well as the therapist gets time to utilize and care for a lot more patients at the same time.

Trackers
VR automatically tracks the progress and the results of the patient. It also sends messages containing all the information required for further analysis to the therapist. Therapists can use this data to monitor progress and determine the next step of the patient’s rehabilitation with ease.

Portability
Neither patient needs to go to the hospital nor the therapist needs to move to them frequently. All the check-ups, monitoring, exercising, and rehabilitation process necessary can be done with a VR headset straight from home.

Lots of developers are now working closely with medical and healthcare industries to make physical therapy fun using VR technology. The VR Physical Therapy Simulator of PaleBlue is an innovative and futuristic example of how technology can be utilized.