The efficiency of cognitive therapy using virtual reality on upper limb mobility in stroke patients

Abstract

The importance of virtual reality hasrecently grown, thanks to a significant benefit - feedback - which stimulates brain centers due to CNS plasticity. Such growth was allowed by inducing the need of patient - environment interaction and efforts to achieve goals. Possibility to carry out the therapy at much higher and more accurate doses, instead of manual therapy, represents another benefit to the research. We can achieve more frequent and more intense therapies without consequences of fatigue, only by adjusting to individual patients needs, with help of robotic devices. Although robotic research continues to grow despite of increasing number of patients per one physical therapist, it still saves time. Use of virtual reality as a new kind of neurorehabilitation promises to improve the traditional health care. Nevertheless, best results are achieved in combination with robotic and traditional therapy. The aim of our study is to analyse effect of cognitive therapy by using virtual reality on upper limp mobility in postacute stroke patients.