Virtual reality applied to home-visit rehabilitation for hemiplegic shoulder pain in a stroke patient: a case report

Objectives: Virtual reality (VR) has been shown to facilitate rehabilitation at hospitals by distracting patients’ attention from pain and by providing a virtual environment favorable for motivating the patients to continue rehabilitation. However, the application of VR in a home-visit rehabilitation remains to be validated. Here, we report a case in which home-visit rehabilitation using immersive VR was effective for post-stroke hemiplegic shoulder pain. Case presentation: After treatment, at a general hospital, for the hypertensive hemorrhage in the right brain capsule that resulted in the residual attention deficit disorder and left hemiplegia, a 63-year-old woman was cared for with a home-visit rehabilitation in a rural area. The patient had persistent pain in her left shoulder, which increased during activities of daily living and during rehabilitation, and the pain precluded rehabilitation. A VR relaxation program was delivered to the patient to alleviate pain during rehabilitation. Her shoulder pain was successfully alleviated using VR during training for muscle stretching and passive joint mobilization. Conclusion: The application of VR to home rehabilitation in rural areas may augment the effectiveness of home rehabilitation by alleviating pain during the procedure and sustaining the motivation for home rehabilitation.