AMBULANTICUM – Virtual Reality therapy for Neurorehabilitation
Origin language: English
AMBULANTICUM Herdecke introduced virtual reality therapy by CUREosity as part of its intensive rehabilitation program for children and adults with serious neurological conditions, including stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy. Wearing a VR headset, patients take part in immersive, game-like exercises chosen to match their personal rehabilitation goals. The activities can support movement, hand function, coordination, balance, attention, memory, and everyday skills. Therapists guide the experience through a tablet, adapting each exercise, monitoring progress, and connecting the virtual activities with the patient’s wider treatment plan.
The project brings physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other rehabilitation specialists together to explore new ways of making therapy more engaging. By encouraging active participation and repeated practice, the project shows how digital technology can complement therapist-led care and help patients stay motivated throughout their recovery. The case was listed as a digital pioneer by the ATLAS Project at Witten/Herdecke University.
- Finding the right fit for each patient. Patients differ in their rehabilitation goals, physical abilities, motivation and tolerance of VR.
- Integrating VR into a full therapy schedule. AMBULANTICUM works with intensive, tightly planned therapy programs, so an additional digital therapy element needs to fit into existing routines.
- Different levels of digital confidence among therapists. Not all therapists are equally comfortable with new digital tools, which can influence how easily the technology becomes part of everyday practice.
Lessons learned
- Technology should support the existing therapy concept. VR-Therapy was not introduced as a standalone innovation. It fits the organization’s broader approach of intensive, interdisciplinary and technology-supported rehabilitation focused on mobility, independence and quality of life.
- Patient goals should guide technology use. The central question is whether the technology helps the patient reach a concrete rehabilitation goal. Technologies are selected and combined according to individual therapy plans.
- Routine use grows through practice, feedback and internal support. Therapists become more confident when they use the technology regularly, exchange experiences and receive support from trained key users. Patient and therapist feedback then helps to adapt the use of VR-Therapy.
Recommendations
- Start from the patient’s rehabilitation goal and plan VR accordingly. Define what the patient should achieve, decide whether VR-Therapy fits this goal, and plan it into the therapy schedule while keeping enough flexibility to adapt or skip it when another intervention is more suitable.
- Use key users to build internal capacity. Train a small group of motivated therapists first and let them support colleagues in daily practice. This helps the technology become part of the team’s routine.
- Collect feedback from patients and therapists. Ask patients whether the VR exercises are motivating and useful, and ask therapists whether the system is easy to integrate into treatment. Use this feedback to adapt exercises, workflows and future development with the technology provider.
