{"id":1692,"date":"2021-07-27T18:10:05","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T18:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/?p=1692"},"modified":"2025-07-28T11:09:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T11:09:48","slug":"the-value-of-virtual-reality-in-gait-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/the-value-of-virtual-reality-in-gait-training\/","title":{"rendered":"The value of virtual reality in gait training"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1692\" class=\"elementor elementor-1692\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1b18acc2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"1b18acc2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2c894719\" data-id=\"2c894719\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-53943de1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"53943de1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>\u00a0<\/h1><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An increasing number of clinics, centers, and senior living facilities are adopting virtual reality <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(VR)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to enhance gait training in their practices. Indications <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">they are treating with VR include<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Idiopathic (Aging)<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balance Issues (Vestibular)<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parkinson\u2019s Disease<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multiple Sclerosis<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stroke<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lesione parziale del midollo spinale<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trauma cranico<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-fratture<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joint replacement<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The positive outcomes are growing and findings are showing improved gait, confidence and overall well-being of patients. The value is immense in all aspects, for the patient, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> therapist and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With quicker rehabilitation times, reduced falls, and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">optimized<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> training sessions, this means a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">perfect<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> solution for everyone.<\/span><\/p><p><\/p><h2><strong>What is virtual reality in rehabilitation?<\/strong><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation, also known as immersive multimedia, is a computer-simulated real or imaginary environment.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VR <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rehabilitation<\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a proven solution for engaging users in a comfortable and safe environment to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accelerate<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rehabilitation, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">especially cognition and gait<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By using virtual technology <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> individual\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">experience<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can be personalized<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> based on age, weight, injury, functional level, etc. As a result, the possibilities are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">quite<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> endless and the results outstandingly great.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An example of virtual reality in rehabilitation is<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> VR <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">add-on to treadmills<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> improves gait by drastically reducing the risk of falls. (1) The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VR environment<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> presents the patient with obstacles that provide motor<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cognitive training and improve gait.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, studies are showing that VR training results in significantly better <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outcomes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> compared with the conventional physical therapy in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">patients<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with balance disturbances <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and vestibular dysfunction<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, such as in Parkinson\u2019s disease. (2)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shows<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that VR rehabilitation may be used to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">treat<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a wide range of problems in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">patients<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suffering from gait impairments.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2><strong>What are the advantages of virtual reality in gait training?<\/strong><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s dig in a little deeper on the advantages of virtual reality for therapy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By practicing real-world situations and challenges in a safe and controlled environment, patients gain confidence at a\u00a0 rapid rate. This improves transfer of acquired skills to daily activities and improved gait.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The practice of repetitive tasks and challenges allows the therapist to objectively and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">quantitatively<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> measure and assess a patient\u2019s progress over time.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therapists are easily able to diversify <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> training, keeping patients more engaged throughout the gait rehabilitation program. Virtual reality is a fun way to build motivation and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reduce self-discharge<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virtual reality can<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not only improve gait, but also <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cognitive<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> abilities. By focusing on certain tasks and obstacles, patients are training the brain as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VR treadmill gait rehabilitation also works on motor planning, spatial awareness, decision making, memory, motivation, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self-awareness<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and multi-tasking.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, virtual reality systems can be set up quickly and specific to that patient. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may shorten the overall set up time, resulting in longer and more <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">optimized<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> training sessions. This is a cost effective solution for both sides.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">considering<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a VR <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">add-on to treadmills<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it is important to select those, such as the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GaitBetter\u00a0<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VR system, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that come<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> equipped with a safety harness. This adds to the comfort of the patient, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increasing<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> their confidence <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in walking on the treadmill<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2fba50e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"2fba50e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5a2094a\" data-id=\"5a2094a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e8a27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"44e8a27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Advanced virtual reality-based rehabilitation of balance and gait in clinical practice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3122388 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"3122388\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0c5901d\" data-id=\"0c5901d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8cc5afe elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8cc5afe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you are a hospital, physical therapy clinic or assisted living home<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the VR <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">add-on to<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> treadmills is an ideal solution for gait <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and cognitive<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rehabilitation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data shows that by introducing virtual reality in comparison to conventional treadmill training, gait rehabilitation improves immensely.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One such study found that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">incorporating<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> virtual reality into treadmill training <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> walking speed and motivation (3)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">performance of the<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GaitBetter<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> prototype \u201cV-TIME\u201d was <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recently<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reviewed <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and published<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Nature Reviews Neurology. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The authors noted<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that \u201cmuch unrealized potential exists for the use of VR to provide personalized assessment and rehabilitation that optimizes motor learning in both the clinic and home environments and adapts to changes in individuals over time.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it was stated that \u201cthe largest and most comprehensive trial to date (the V- TIME trial) did report some important extra benefits of VR\u201d in comparison to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">non-immersive <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VR systems. (4)<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-806ff2b\" data-id=\"806ff2b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ef389c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6ef389c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"785\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/gaitbetter-decreases-risk-of-falls.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1696\" alt=\"gait rehabilitation\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/gaitbetter-decreases-risk-of-falls.jpg 785w, https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/gaitbetter-decreases-risk-of-falls-768x587.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 785px) 100vw, 785px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a21ce72 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"a21ce72\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f96758f\" data-id=\"f96758f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7b6ec7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e7b6ec7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><strong>GaitBetter virtual reality rehabilitation system<\/strong><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The GaitBetter smart VR technology with a proven 50% reduction in falls is a quick and easy solution for your practice that works with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">almost<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> any treadmill. Save time, build confidence and motivation in your patients quicker and GaitBetter sooner!<\/span><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: 1rem;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you ready to GaitBetter? Schedule a meeting with us today! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/contact-us\/\">Click Here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b97c4d4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default text-reveal-no\" data-id=\"b97c4d4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5904827\" data-id=\"5904827\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-420e238 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"420e238\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(16)31325-3\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(16)31325-3\/fulltext<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6563647\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6563647\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33888148\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33888148\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41582-020-0370-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41582-020-0370-2<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 An increasing number of clinics, centers, and senior living facilities are adopting virtual reality (VR) to enhance gait training in their practices. Indications they are treating with VR include: Idiopathic (Aging) Balance Issues (Vestibular) Parkinson\u2019s Disease Multiple Sclerosis Stroke Partial spinal cord injury Traumatic brain injury Post fractures Joint..<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1692"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68832,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1692\/revisions\/68832"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaitbetter.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}