Virtual Reality Hands Help Stroke Survivors Regain Use of Arms and Hands

Virtual reality hands controlled by one's thoughts pose an effective and affordable tool in helping stroke survivors regain use for their hands and arms, a new study found.

Presented at the American Heart Association's 2013 Scientific Sessions, the study included six stroke survivors, each of whom suffered from impaired hand and arm movement.

"During rehabilitation, usually a therapist will move the patient's hand or arm in the desired direction while asking that patient to imagine they are making the movement," lead author Alexander Doud, who was a Masters student at the University of Minnesota at the time of the study, said in a statement. "In this practice space, the patients can control photorealistic hands by thinking about using their own hands without actually moving at all."

The researchers gave the participants 3-D glasses that made it appear as though they were seeing their own arms, and then asking them to perform routine activities.

"The system is created in a way that could allow it to be used to practice a wide variety of desired activities, such as picking up a toothbrush or opening a jar, with very little additional work to set up the system," Doud said. "This can make it even more patient specific and that leads to patient motivation."

In all, the individuals were able to achieve as high as 81 percent accuracy when using the virtual hands to reach out to a glass or tea or water, experiencing improvements in their skills in a few as three two-hour sessions.

"This is an engaging system that encourages patients to practice using the areas of their brain that may have been damaged or weakened by their stroke," Doud explained "and the technology could be used along with commonly provided rehabilitation therapy for stroke."