GaitBetter in Lifespan’s Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center at Newport Hospital is featured in WPRI-TV
Virtual reality (VR) technology is being used at the Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center to aid in the progress of patients and is producing faster results than traditional methods, according to medical professionals.
The center recently acquired VR platform, GaitBetter. GaitBetter is a VR walking platform that uses a harness system and treadmill to simulate real-world obstacles and is believed to improve dynamic balance, endurance, and cognitive functioning. The device also provides instant feedback, allowing patients to make adjustments and find new ways to cope with their environment and disabilities.
Physical therapist, Jenny Volpe, states that the technology helps with “brain recovery and falls” by using sensors and a camera to track movement and calibrate it with animated shoes on a screen.
The medical director at the rehabilitation center, Dr. Mustapha Kemal, reports that one patient who had hip surgery and used GaitBetter for rehab showed instant progress and was able to transition to a walker and eventually go home within a few days of using the technology.
Kemal believes that the technology not only helps patients progress but does so at a faster rate and potentially reduces the length of stay at the facility.
“Not only that it helps patients progress, but progress quicker”, Dr. Mustapha Kemal, Medical director at Newport Hospital.