Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb 26:10:20552076241234738.
doi: 10.1177/20552076241234738. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Experiences of physiotherapists considering virtual reality for shoulder rehabilitation: A focus group study

Beate Dejaco  1   2   3 , Niamh Brady  4   5 , Anne Tankink  2 , Jeremy Lewis  6   7 , Harry van Goor  1 , J Bart Staal  2 , Niki Stolwijk  2
Affiliations

Experiences of physiotherapists considering virtual reality for shoulder rehabilitation: A focus group study

Beate Dejaco et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: Shoulder pain is common and associated with substantial morbidity. Different treatment strategies are being prescribed with equivocal results. Virtual reality (VR) is a novel technology and emerging research suggests that VR may be a promising alternative to current treatments. Prior to effectiveness research or any large-scale introduction, VR-applications require appropriate scrutiny including feasibility- and acceptability of clinicians and patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to collect experiences of physiotherapists after using immersive VR.

Methods: A qualitative interpretive design was used to explore physiotherapists' experiences related to the use of VR for people with shoulder symptoms. 17 physiotherapists were asked to use VR at home for five days prior to a focus group interview. Data from the focus group interviews were analyzed using a six-phase process of thematic analysis.

Results: Three main themes were identified, each divided into subthemes. The main themes were: 1. VR as an extension of contemporary physiotherapy care: physiotherapists were positive about the potential of VR and its applicability in daily care. 2. Physiotherapist uncertainties of future care using VR: participants expressed concerns about their professional identity, particularly as patients engage in independent home exercises. 3. Physiotherapist's requirements for implementation of VR: participants shared their needs for evidence regarding the effectiveness and parameters such as frequency, dosage and intensity of the VR intervention.

Conclusion: Physiotherapists were positive about VR as an intervention tool. However, they felt more knowledge is needed about parameters of VR. The findings of this study inform researchers and technology developers about optimal design of interventions and applications using VR.

Keywords: Virtual reality; physiotherapy; qualitative interpretive design; shoulder rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Picavet HSJ, Schouten JSAG. Musculoskeletal pain in the Netherlands: Prevalences, consequences and risk groups, the DMC 3-Study . - PubMed
    1. Dean E, Söderlund A. What is the role of lifestyle behaviour change associated with non-communicable disease risk in managing musculoskeletal health conditions with special reference to chronic pain? BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2015; 16. doi: 10.1186/s12891-015-0545-y - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ulack C, Suarez J, Brown L, et al. What are people that seek care for rotator cuff tendinopathy experiencing in their daily life? J Patient Exp 2022; 9: 237437352110698. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dejaco B, Habets B, van Loon C, et al. Eccentric versus conventional exercise therapy in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy: a randomized, single blinded, clinical trial. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2017; 25: 2051–2059. - PubMed
    1. Holmgren T, Hallgren HB, Öberg B, et al. Effect of specific exercise strategy on need for surgery in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: randomised controlled study. BMJ (Online) 2012; 344: e787. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources