Immersive Virtual Reality for Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis

Virtual reality (VR) has reported benefits of engagement, immersion, and motivation in rehabilitation and has been proposed to be a solution for long-term engaging rehabilitation methods. However, the use of VR within the multiple sclerosis (MS) population is not widely investigated, and even less with regards to upper limb function. The main aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of using the Oculus Quest VR headset and games for improving upper limb function within the MS population. Recruited people with MS will be randomly assigned to either an eight week intervention using VR games that have been designed by co-production with people with MS and MS-specialists; or to a control group of usual care. All participants will undertake testing at baseline, four weeks and eight weeks for multiple outcomes measures related to upper limb and motor function. After completion of the intervention, participants who undertook VR intervention will complete a survey regarding the usability of the games, and some individuals will be invited to interviews to express their experience of using VR and any suggestions for improvement for potential future trials.