Virtual reality hope for limb function

Virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation might help improve upper limb function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new review has found.

The games, exercises or activities that took place in each study reviewed by the researchers were quite poorly described, they reported, but grasping and reaching actions were common.

VR is a promising new strategy for rehabilitation, but evidence of its benefits is still in its infancy. Researchers said further work is needed to determine its therapeutic benefits, because the studies were very small and some failed to show statistically significant improvements. There were also conflicting findings about whether VR-based therapies were more effective than conventional ones.