Effectiveness of the Immersive Virtual Reality in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

Stroke has been one of the leading causes of death worldwide for the past 15 years. Upper limb dysfunction is one of the main symptoms in stroke patients. The purpose of is to evaluate the treatment effectiveness of Immersive virtual reality system in upper limb rehabilitation. A single-blind clinical trial, and pretest–posttest control group design trial was conducted. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Physical Performance, Box and Block Test of Manual Dexterity, and FIM self-care score were used at baseline and post intervention. All subjects were asked to complete a total of twenty training sessions over eight weeks. The results of this project can be summarized as follows: (1) A total of eighteen stroke patients were involved in the trial, 15 males and 3 females, with an average age of 57.42 years (SD 12.75), and time from stroke (Mean 8.78 months, SD 5.51). (2) Results of the differences between the two groups pretest–posttest showed that the two groups were significantly differences in FMA (Conventional group, p = 0.021; Immersive virtual reality group, p = 0.014). It is known from the above results that the immersive virtual reality game device contributes to the improvement of the functions of the upper limbs. The results of this project are expected to provide a reference for innovative design in the medical industry and the entertainment industry.