VRehabilitation: A Pilot Study of HMD-Based Guided Exercise & Rehabilitation in VR for Post-Shoulder-Surgery Patients at Home

Shoulder rehabilitation is a critical component of recovery for post-shoulder-surgery patients. This study introduces a virtual reality application designed for shoulder rehabilitation commencing six weeks post-surgery, utilising virtual mirrors, instructor guidance, and real-time motion tracking. We have addressed challenges such as limited supervision and motivation during home rehabilitation. The application aims to bridge the gap between clinical supervision and at-home recovery by adhering to physiotherapy’s best practices, providing an engaging, non-gamified platform. Expert evaluations were collected through interviews. Further data was collected through an experiment in an everyday environment with 8 subjects (4 male and 4 female) with prior experience in physiotherapy rehabilitation participated in this study. The average age for males was 26.0 years ( ± 6.83 SD), and for females was 38.75 years ( ± 14.83 SD). While outcomes are promising, with participants reporting high usability and engagement, issues like cybersickness and accessibility require further investigation. Although no severe cybersickness was reported, optimising motion design and visual feedback could further enhance user comfort. Additionally, feedback emphasised the need for more exercise variety and customisation to improve long-term usability.