Virtual reality assisted visual feedback of cervical spine kinematics for improved control of active range-of-motion maneuvers

The current study investigated the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) assisted visual feedback for improving control of voluntary movements of the cervical spine during performance of active range-of-motion maneuvers. Active range-of-motion was assessed in 10 asymptomatic volunteers, both without and with VR-assisted visual feedback of overall cervical spine rotations. 8 of the 12 secondary rotations were significantly lower (p<0.01) with VR feedback than the corresponding secondary rotations without VR feedback. No statistically significant differences were found between the primary rotations attained without VR and with VR feedback. These results support the use of VR-based visual feedback for enabling control of in-vivo cervical spine kinematics.

Duke Scholars

Author Louis Edwin DeFrate Orthopaedic Surgery