Research & Resources

Rehabilitation of Neurological Conditions

Effects of home-based virtual reality upper extremity rehabilitation in persons with chronic stroke: a randomised controlled trial.  
- Compared to conventional rehabilitation, home-based virtual reality therapy more effectively improved upper limb motor function in people with chronic stroke. Full Text

Effect of virtual reality-based training on upper limb dysfunction during post-stroke rehabilitation: A meta-analysis combined with meta-regression.
- Conventional therapy plus VR-based training is superior to conventional therapy alone in promoting the recovery of UL motor function after stroke. Therefore, VR-based training may be a potential option for improving UL motor function. Full Text

The use of virtual reality for activities of daily living rehabilitation after brain injury: A scoping review.
- This scoping review found mixed evidence on the effectiveness of virtual reality platforms incorporating daily activities to improve functional outcomes after acquired brain injury. Full Text 

Systematic review of the application of virtual reality to improve balance, gait and motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease.
- Virtual reality was shown to be a beneficial supplementary tool for improving motor skills, balance, and gait in individuals with Parkinson’s disease, though more studies are needed. Full Text

Virtual Reality and Occupational Therapy.
- This chapter explores the use of virtual reality in occupational therapy—its history, technological developments, applications across age groups, benefits, limitations, and profession-specific outcomes such as cognitive and upper extremity rehabilitation. Full Text

Pain Education and Management

The acceptability, feasibility, and usability of a virtual reality pain education and rehabilitation program for Veterans: a mixed-methods study.
- This mixed-methods study found that the Virtual Reality Pain Science Education (VR-PSE) program was acceptable, feasible, and usable for Veterans with persistent pain, though further research is needed to assess its clinical effectiveness. Full Text  

Case Study: Reality Health app in-clinic result - Re-thinking Recovery.
- IPAR’s Re-thinking Recovery program, which incorporates a Virtual Reality app, has shown promising results in improving work capacity, daily functioning, pain beliefs, and overall health outcomes for clients with persistent pain. Full Text 

Case Study: RESOLVE Trial for chronic low back pain.
- A modern treatment targeting both the brain and body significantly reduced pain and disability in chronic back pain patients by addressing it as a nervous system issue rather than a structural problem, with lasting effects at one-year follow-up. Full Text 

Virtual reality for pain management: an umbrella review.
- This umbrella review found that virtual reality is an effective alternative therapy for managing pain across perioperative, periprocedural, and chronic pain settings in both children and adults. Full Text

Occupational Therapy's Role in Pain Management using Virtual Reality.
- This capstone project explores the potential role of virtual reality (VR) in enhancing occupational therapy interventions for individuals with chronic pain, aiming to provide a safer and more effective alternative to traditional pain management approaches. Full Text

Virtual Reality Applications in Chronic Pain Management: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
- This systematic review and meta-analysis found that virtual reality (VR) interventions significantly improve pain and functioning in individuals with chronic pain, highlighting VR’s potential as a complementary first-line therapy beyond acute pain settings. Full Text 

Virtual reality in managing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS): a scoping review.
- This scoping review found that while current evidence on virtual reality (VR) treatments for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is limited, immersive VR strategies show promising potential for reducing pain and body perception disturbances, though improvements in limb function remain inconclusive. Full Text

Use of virtual reality for the management of phantom limb pain: a systematic review, 2024 Abstract

Immersive interactive virtual walking reduces neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury: findings from a preliminary investigation of feasibility and clinical efficacy, 2022 Abstract

Virtual reality and chronic low back pain, by Christopher Tack, published online in Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology (November 2019)  Full article

-  A narrative review examining VR’s role in managing chronic low back pain (CLBP), suggesting it as a potential opioid alternative

The acceptability, feasibility, and usability of a virtual reality pain education and rehabilitation program for Veterans: a mixed-methods study, 2025

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Aged Care

Potential of virtual reality to meaningfully engage adults living with dementia in care settings: A scoping review.
- This scoping review found that virtual reality shows promise in meaningfully engaging older adults with dementia in care settings, particularly by fostering interpersonal interactions and social connection, though its effectiveness depends on environmental factors. Full Text

Effects of Virtual Reality Intervention on Cognition and Motor Function in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- This systematic review and meta-analysis found that virtual reality interventions significantly improve cognitive functions, particularly attention, memory, and global cognition, and moderately enhance balance in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, though effects on visuospatial ability and gait were not significant. Full Text 

Virtual reality and well-being in older adults: Results from a pilot implementation of virtual reality in long-term care.
- This pilot implementation found that virtual reality experiences enhanced physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being in older adults in long-term care, serving as an enjoyable and engaging tool even for those with cognitive impairment. Full Text

Paediatrics

Home-based virtual reality-enhanced upper limb training system in children with brain injury: a randomized controlled trial.
- This randomized controlled trial found that while home-based virtual reality training did not significantly improve upper limb function compared to standard therapy, it enhanced movement patterns, social cognitive function, and therapy engagement in children with brain injury. Full Text 

The use of virtual reality in the stimulation of manual function in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review.
- This systematic review found that virtual reality therapy supports the improvement of manual function in children with cerebral palsy and serves as a valuable complement to traditional rehabilitation approaches. Full Text 

Effectiveness of the virtual reality on cognitive function of children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: a single-blind randomized controlled trial. International journal of rehabilitation research.
- This randomized controlled trial found that a 10-week virtual reality–based rehabilitation program significantly improved cognitive functions—such as spatial perception, praxis, and visuomotor skills in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy compared to traditional occupational therapy alone. Full Text

Design to assist better youthhood for adolescents with lower limb disability through virtual reality sports.
- This study found that a VR rock-climbing game designed for adolescents with lower-limb disabilities fostered enjoyable immersion, increased motivation to exercise, and promoted feelings of happiness, mastery, and achievement. Full Text

Could virtual reality applications pose real risks to children and adolescents? A systematic review of ethical issues and concerns.
- This systematic review found that while virtual reality technologies offer innovative benefits for children, they also raise ethical concerns, particularly in the psychosocial domain, emphasizing the importance of adhering to health and safety guidelines and time limits. Full Text 

Health Professional Training

The usability of a virtual reality augmented training program to teach goniometry to occupational therapy students.
- The study found that an immersive virtual reality program for teaching wrist goniometry was usable, engaging, and showed potential as an effective tool to support manual skill acquisition in occupational therapy students. Full Text 

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy students' communicative and collaborative learning in an interprofessional virtual setting.
- This study found that working with a virtual patient in an interprofessional setting fostered reciprocal learning and enhanced communication skills among occupational therapy and physiotherapy students, helping them better understand both their own and each other’s professional roles. Full Text

A meta‐analysis and systematic review of the effect of virtual reality technology on users’ learning outcomes.
- This meta-analysis of 43 studies found that virtual reality (VR) technologies generally enhance educational outcomes—particularly intellectual skills and learner attitudes—across most regions and educational levels, highlighting the importance of designing VR tools that stimulate interest, motivation, and satisfaction. Full Text 

Behaviour

The use of virtual reality to influence motivation, affect, enjoyment, and engagement during exercise: a scoping review.
- This review suggests that virtual reality (VR), particularly through immersive environments and virtual agents, can positively influence motivation, enjoyment, and engagement during exercise, though more theory-driven and population-specific research is needed to determine optimal strategies. Full Text 

Mental Health

The use of virtual reality technology in the treatment of anxiety and other psychiatric disorders.
- This review examines the development, effectiveness, and future potential of virtual reality as a cost-effective and immersive tool for treating psychiatric disorders, particularly through exposure-based interventions for anxiety. Full Text 

Using multisensory virtual reality nature immersion as a therapeutic modality for improving HRV and cognitive functions in post-traumatic stress disorder: a pilot-study  Full Text

Other Resources

VA Immersive: VR Group Therapy Testimonial

How Does Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Work? | Treating Anxiety with VRET

Mental health benefits of virtual reality

Depew physical therapist using virtual reality to help patients

Twin Cities mental health clinic using VR technology to heal