Immersive Virtual Reality in Stroke Pilot Study

Over 15,000 Veterans are treated by the VA for stroke each year. A stroke means that part of the brain dies. Many people who have a stroke have difficulty with moving their arm, using their hand, and they have pain. Virtual reality is a video-game based treatment that may help people with stroke improve in these areas. Virtual reality involves using a computer and goggles to make a person feel like they are in a different world with new sights and sounds, relaxing on a beach where there is no pain, or playing the piano. In virtual reality, stroke patients can practice movement in a safe and motivating environment. For example, a person with stroke who has weakness in his/her arm can safely reach for plates in a virtual cupboard. In a virtual environment, the plates can't break. This study will help investigators to determine if people with strokes who are treated with virtual reality like it, and if they have less pain and better movement.