VR combined with nerve stimulation improves arm and hand function following a stroke

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna and ETH Zurich have developed a rehabilitation platform for people suffering from the long-term effects of a stroke that combines virtual reality with targeted sensory nerve stimulation. In a randomized feasibility clinical study with stroke patients, recently published in Nature Medicine, the new technology contributed to improvements in arm and hand function, as well as in tactile and body awareness. These results open up the prospect of personalized and more accessible rehabilitation that can support patients' recovery beyond the limits of conventional therapy.