More Help for Combat Veterans

The Virtual Reality Medical Center (based in San Diego) and the University of Central Florida are partnering to further develop virtual reality technologies to help veterans of combat. The article states that they've already received a quarter-of-a-million-dollar grant from the Air Force, and will be seeking more grant money to continue their projects.

More on VR + CP

The idea of using virtual reality as therapy for kids with cerebral palsy isn't new. Psychologists like Dr. Denise Reid of the University of Toronto have been testing VR systems on CP patients since the early 2000s. Read abstracts here and here (subscription required for full articles). Though the sample population was small, increases were found for playfulness, upper-extremity mobility, and self-efficacy.

Helping Kids with CP Balance

CBS ran a story on VR therapy that allows children with cerebral palsy to move better by visualizing themselves in athletic environments. The system, Irex (made by Gesturetek), projects physical therapy patients onto a green-screen, participating in a variety of physical activities like skiing, soccer, and snowboarding. Each of the games or activities is designed to test a specific part or parts of the body. One group of patients who benefit from this type of therapy are children with cerebral palsy. Using this type of therapy, they can participate in engaging contact sports, which motivates them to complete their exercises, which translates to better balance and coordination.

Walter Reed Gait Laboratory

At the Walter Reed Gait Laboratory, US military personnel can get help improving their stride as they recover from debilitating amputations. A patient's movements are recorded and tracked as points of light on a LED display.

The patient and rehab team, including physician, prosthetist, and physical therapists, can then use the data from the computer program to determine the best prosthetic fit for the patient. The data can be compared to the gaits of non-amputees or even the patient's own non-amputee side stride.

Content Suggestions

I tried it before, but I thought I'd try again--do you have an idea for articles for this blog? Shoot me an e-mail at elyse.moretti@gmail.com.

Thanks!