Got Aches and Pains? How Active VR Games Can Get You Moving Again
If you’re laid up with joint or muscle injuries, recovery can be a slow slog. But advances in virtual reality offer new ways to make rehab fun with immersive games that distract from pain while restoring strength and mobility.
If you’re laid up with joint or muscle injuries, recovery can be a slow slog. But advances in virtual reality offer new ways to make rehab fun with immersive games that distract from pain while restoring strength and mobility.
First, a quick reality check. Attempting VR boxing with a torn rotator cuff probably won’t end well. But for general soreness or everyday strains, low-impact activities in VR can get you moving.
Active games are the key - not just scrolling VR nature videos. Mimicking motions in virtual worlds allows gentle range of motion exercise. Step into a fantastical castle dungeon to slash and dodge fireballs from an evil sorcerer. Tend an alien garden on a distant planet, bending and turning to pot strange plants. Or box against revolutionary robots marching for freedom!
The key is choosing VR games with natural movements that mirror your real life activity needs - stretching an injured knee, strengthening a weak back, or regaining flexibility after being in a cast. Low difficulty levels ensure you succeed without overexertion.
As your abilities improve, you can gradually increase activity and intensity. Unlike boring solo exercises, immersive VR worlds transform tedious rehab into adventures that distract from discomfort. Therapeutic play boosts motivation and compliance.
So next time you’re laid up with aches, pains, sprains or strains, consider grabbing a headset for some virtual TLC. With your doc’s okay, the right active VR games allow healing exercise that feels more like play, bringing life back to damaged joints and muscles.
Who needs a gym when you can rehab in a magical forest or on Mars, or better still, on the beach 😉.
