Recovr reality - Recover after injury or surgery to the brain and spinal cord with virtual Reality: ideal stage 2a clinical feasibility study.
William Stephen Bolton, Rohitashwa Sinha, Sara Cooper and 7 others
PMID 40033369WHAT IT FOUND
Bedside VR with usual rehabilitation was feasible and acceptable after neurosurgery or neurotrauma: 32 of 36 consented patients completed it, and no seizures, wound infections or rehabilitation-related injuries were reported within 30 days.
Effectiveness was not tested.
Key findings
01VR was feasible in this acute setting: 39 eligible patients were approached, 36 consented, and 32 completed a session.
02No seizures, wound infections or rehabilitation-related injuries were reported in the first 30 days after VR use.
03Most participants found VR acceptable and useful, and many wanted more VR as an inpatient or for outpatient use.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
It was a single-group feasibility study, not a randomised trial, so it cannot show whether VR caused any clinical improvement. No effectiveness outcomes were measured, and detailed neurological deficits were not collected. The sample was small and mixed, with neuro-oncology and neurotrauma patients combined, so results may not apply to every patient. It was done at one UK centre and tested one headset and two software applications. All participants had bone flaps re-inserted and in place, so safety with absent bone flap or large craniectomy was not established. People with photosensitive epilepsy, those who could not consent, and those unable to wear the headset were excluded. No economic evaluation, multi-centre logistics or sample size calculation for a future trial were performed. The study was too small to analyse side-effect rates separately in trauma and oncology patients.
Declared interests
Funded by NIHR and Leeds Hospitals Charity.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that VR speeds recovery or improves function after brain or spinal surgery. This study measured feasibility and safety, not effectiveness, and it had no control group, so it cannot show that VR changed patient outcomes.