An innovative virtual reality system is being successfully tested in Israel to improve walking skills and reduce the risk of falls in patients. For the first time, GaitBetter motor and cognitive training in the virtual reality environment was used at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba during the rehabilitation of a 70-year-old woman.
The patient had undergone knee replacement surgery, after which she used a walker to get around. At the initial stage of her recovery, she received physiotherapy services at home according to a pre-designed plan, practicing proper walking, going up and down stairs, and many other exercises. The most difficult thing for her was to maintain her balance. In the course of her rehabilitation at the physiotherapy center, gradually increasing the load during the exercises, the woman learned to move without a walker or cane. At the same time, the patient began training with the GaitBetter virtual reality system.
GaitBetter is an exclusively Israeli development that simulates a virtual obstacle course in different walking conditions. This allows people with disabilities to effectively train walking in a space close to reality. The center’s staff adapts the training and its level of difficulty individually for each patient.
Based on the materials of the information portal vesty.co.il.

February 06, 2022