Playful Therapy: Integrating VR Games for Vestibular Rehab

Children and elderly individuals often seek medical help for vertigo and imbalance, typically caused by vestibular system problems crucial to maintaining posture and balance. Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) is strongly recommended as individuals perform target-specific exercises to al-leviate these symptoms by performing head, eye, balance, and coordination movements. We propose integrating Serious Games and Virtual Reality (VR) into VRT to make these exercises more engaging and enjoyable. This paper presents the creation of a progressive endless game that aids patients in performing the necessary VRT exercises while being distracted by the task and dynamic elements in the virtual environment. Although patients might use the created application by themselves, partial control is given to the therapist in a dedicated back-office, allowing them to adjust the game mechanics (e.g., overall difficulty or speed), as well as the creation of dynamic content to alter visual stimuli.