Effects of Virtual Reality Based Rehabilitation in Acute Stroke Patients in an Inpatient Rehab Setting

The American Stroke Association states that stroke is 5th leading cause of death in the United States and one of the leading causes of disability and loss of motor function. Approximately 80% of stroke survivors have upper extremity limitations where the distal upper extremity motor function is severely affected and is the last body part to recover. Restoration of arm function is essential to regaining activities of daily living (ADL) such as holding objects like utensils, turning a doorknob, writing or telephone use. Literature search shows that intensive and repetitive training may be necessary to modify neural organization and recover functional motor skills. Along with traditional rehabilitation methods, virtual reality (VR) based rehabilitation has emerged in recent years. VR-based rehabilitation is more intensive, of longer duration and more repetitive. Using VR rehabilitation, repetitive dull exercises can turn into a more challenging and motivating tasks such as games. Moreover, VR-based rehabilitation can provide a quantitative measure of the rehabilitation progress.

The investigators propose a study comparing conventional occupational services versus virtual reality-based rehabilitation intervention for participants during acute phase of stroke in the inpatient rehabilitation setting. The investigators hypothesize that by using VRA, will see a significant increase in the overall motor function, shorter hospital course and improved quality of life for the participants.