Per a new update, one hospital in Baltimore is now reportedly using a virtual reality video game in order to help patients regain their mobility.
How A Video Game Is Helping Patients Regain Mobility In Baltimore Hospital
As the video gaming industry continues to progress, it becomes clearer that games are so much more than a pastime, what with modern technology making the play factor and stories that they tell more immersive than ever.
And with immersion the main focus of games, it’s no surprise that virtual reality is slowly being adapted by the industry, making players feel like they’re actually in the game. Now, this same virtual reality in video games is reportedly being used by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore to help in patient therapy and rehabilitation.
According to Dr. Preeti Raghavan, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the MindMotion GO gaming platform that the telehealth rehab is using is “a brand-new rehabilitation technology platform on the U.S. market” that has been immensely helpful in patients who are trying to regain their mobility after a serious sickness that impeded it, such as a stroke or a coronavirus.
“This is so exciting. Even before COVID, there were so many situations when patients could not make it to their therapy appointments even though they really wanted to, and we had no solutions for these patients. But now, we can provide them with this platform and monitor their progress as if they were on location,” Raghavan, who is also an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and neurology, said.
Per Raghavan, the hospital’s rehabilitation game activities are usually displayed on either a monitor or a TV, all while a specialized camera tracks the movements of the patient. A doctor or therapist then has the choice to either be part of the process or review sessions after they’ve been recorded.
“The system can access what kind of movement problems the individual has, and it provides 26 different activity or gaming options that can become progressively more difficult as the patient improves,” Raghavan explained.
MindMotion GO was first used in Europe.
