Physiotherapists at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London, use virtual reality (VR) to assist significant trauma patients in recovering from their injuries.

Highlights:

• St George's Hospital employs VR for trauma patient recovery.
• Patients find VR helpful and enjoyable.
• Positive feedback received; VR aids serious trauma rehabilitation.

Patients utilize VR to play games and complete activities, which involve motions that physiotherapists believe are useful to their recovery. So far, around 50 people have tested the method, and the results are encouraging, according to the hospital.

Jack Fowler-Thick, 18, sustained significant injuries in a motorcycle accident.

During a bedside treatment session on the major trauma ward supervised by trauma physiotherapist Elly Tebbutt, Jack remarks, "This is my favorite part of the day. Nobody wants to wind up in the hospital, and this makes me forget where I am." 

"It really helps," Jack says joyfully as he sits on the edge of his chair during a fruit-picking exercise, closely monitored by Elly. "When I played this last night I experienced a lot of pain, and I discovered it extremely difficult to move, but I felt much more comfortable after using the headset." 

Kate Slemeck, Managing Director of St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said, "Every month, our committed expert emergency physicians, nurses, therapists, and other professionals treat 150 significant trauma patients. We're quite proud of the exceptional treatment they give, from life-saving surgery and psychiatric assistance to these virtual reality sessions, which definitely help our patients.

Many hospitals utilize virtual reality to amuse or entertain patients, but Elly and Beth are unaware of any other application of virtual reality to rehabilitate patients in a serious trauma environment. 

"Recovering from a life-changing condition can be painful and terrifying, and those hurt often fear that their wounds might get worse once they begin to walk around," Beth said. "But our virtual reality headsets allow patients like Becky and Jack to take steps through the pain in a secure and successful way." 

Elly adds, "We've had really great feedback from the 50 or more individuals who have tried the virtual reality headsets. Patients report that it allows them to move more readily while controlling their pain in an enjoyable and entertaining manner.