Virtual reality helps Florida college students rethink injury recovery and rehabilitation

For University of Florida athletic training students, virtual reality isn’t just for gaming – it’s also reshaping how they learn to care for patients recovering from injuries. During March, which is National Athletic Training Month, these students are using emerging technologies to customize cutting-edge rehabilitation treatments that could help transform the industry.

In a course called ATR7300c Evidence-Based Therapeutic Intervention, taught by Clinical Associate Professor Chris Brown, Ph.D., L.A.T., A.T.C., CSCS, P.E.S., OPE-C in the UF Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program, 10 UF doctoral students are conducting lifelike simulations with virtual reality apps while wearing Meta Quest 3S headsets.

“First, they play the role of the patient to understand how the movements feel. Then, once they feel comfortable, they guide someone else through it,” Brown said.

Unlike traditional rehab settings, virtual reality’s immersive environment encourages interaction, improves range of motion in exercises and can be tailored to patients’ needs. While virtual reality has yet to be widely adopted by clinicians because of cost and limited research, its customizable exercises show potential for improving patient outcomes. 

Training with technology

Throughout the semester, students in Brown’s course explore simulations ranging from patients undergoing post-surgical rehabilitation – such as recovering from shoulder or knee injuries – to performance-focused exercises for athletes. Students also learn how to adapt programs for individual lifestyles. For example, a tennis player recovering from an injury who lives in an urban setting may require a more tailored rehabilitation program to suit their environment. 

Brown’s hope is that students will apply what they have learned in the classroom and adopt this technology for their own work after graduation.  

“We are teaching our doctoral clinicians how to use the tools available and also how they can use them to supplement their rehabilitation with patients,” Brown said. 

Alex Alvarez, DAT, L.A.T., A.T.C., OPE-C – a 2024 graduate of the DAT program – serves as an athletic trainer for the U.S. Marine Corps Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan. In his role, he applies the virtual reality skills he learned in Brown’s course to help enhance the recovery journey. 

“Before returning a patient back to full activity, we want to give them exercises that mimic the demands of the sport/activity they will undergo,” Alvarez said. “You don’t want the first time practicing a landing technique or agility drill to be when the patient is out on the field. With VR, the patient is instantly teleported to the desired scenario, bringing the outside world to them.”

Transforming the industry

From lower extremity injuries to concussions, the sky is the limit when it comes to the different injury types Alvarez can use virtual reality to help treat. Virtual reality is also a useful tool to distract patients fixated on pain, which is sometimes the reason patients discontinue traditional rehab exercises. 

“In some patients, once they put on the VR headset, their pain goes away, allowing them to move through a greater pain-free range of motion than before,” Alvarez said. “If we can shift a patient’s perspective by changing their environment or gamifying rehabilitation while still targeting our therapeutic goals, then why not use it? VR will never replace traditional rehab, but it is a useful modality that helps many patients progress.”

While clinicians are still at the forefront of integrating virtual reality into rehabilitation, having the chance to experiment with the tool in the classroom encourages students to think about how to best leverage the new technologies for patient care. 

“Having the opportunity to learn how to use and implement this technology is rare, and to the best of my knowledge, no other program in the world is doing this,” Alvarez said. “It’s a unique experience that fosters creativity and prepares future clinicians to drive innovation in the fields of rehabilitation and athletic training.”