Gamification of Immersive Cervical Rehabilitation Exercises in VR: An Exploratory Study on Chin Tuck and Range of Motion Exercises

TL;DR

This study explores innovative gamification strategies in VR for cervical rehabilitation exercises, demonstrating high usability and engagement, and addressing accessibility issues in traditional neck pain treatments.

Contribution

It introduces novel gamification approaches for VR neck exercises, including survival and level progression themes, and evaluates their effectiveness through user testing.

Findings

High usability and engagement in VR exercises

Effective gamification strategies for neck strengthening and range of motion

Perceived health benefits from VR rehabilitation games

Abstract

Chronic neck pain is a prevalent condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide, causing significant individual suffering and socioeconomic burdens. Although exercise rehabilitation is a staple in relieving pain and improving muscle function for the condition, traditional one-on-one rehabilitation sessions are costly and suffer from poor adherence and accessibility for the patients. Thanks to the increasing accessibility and recent advancements in sensing and display technology, virtual reality (VR) offers the potential to tackle the challenges in traditional exercise rehabilitation, particularly through gamification. However, still in its infancy, VR-based neck exercise rehabilitation lacks exploration in effective gamification strategies and existing prototypes. To address the knowledge gap, we conduct an exploratory study on the gamification strategies for VR-based cervical rehabilitation exercises by using chin tuck and neck range of motion exercises as examples. Specifically, with different game themes, we investigate a survival and level progression strategy for muscle strengthening (chin tuck) exercise for the first time, and the suitability of ambient reward for a neck range of motion exercise. Through a preliminary user study, we assess the proposed novel VR neck rehabilitation games and they demonstrate excellent usability, engagement, and perceived health value.