Context:
Whether virtual rehabilitation is beneficial has not been determined.
Objective:
To investigate the psychological benefits of virtual reality in rehabilitation.
Design:
An experimental group underwent therapy with a virtual-reality-based exercise bike, and a control group underwent the therapy without virtual-reality equipment.
Setting:
Hospital laboratory.
Patients:
30 patients suffering from spinal-cord injury.
Intervention:
A designed rehabilitation therapy.
Main Outcome Measures:
Endurance, Borg's rating-of-perceived-exertion scale, the Activation–Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD-ACL), and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire.
Results:
The differences between the experimental and control groups were significant for AD-ACL calmness and tension.
Conclusion:
A virtual-reality-based rehabilitation program can ease patients' tension and induce calm.
