With the development of new technology, it is common that excessive use puts undue strain on the hands and finger tendons. This increases the risk of developing many forms of tendonitis. The objective in this project is to use the latest virtual reality (VR) technology to build a preventive rehabilitation game for raising public awareness of upper limb tendonitis. A survey of 141 respondents was first undertaken to find how much the general public knows about upper limb tendonitis. A virtual game is then created using the Unity3D game engine and 3Ds Max for 3D modeling. It is evaluated after being tested by five participants. The majority of respondents to the questionnaire did not know the cause or implications of tendon issues. Almost half of them spent 8.8 hours per day on computers and smartphones, with only 4 minutes per day spent exercising their hands and fingers. The participants gave positive comments towards the designed rehabilitation game and believe it can help to avoid fatigue caused by prolonged smartphone and computer use.
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Virtual Reality (VR) technology was first developed in the mid-1960s and has become increasingly popular over time (Wilson, 1992). The first uses of virtual reality were in military and space-related research (Freitas et. al, 2014). According to Olasky et al. (2015), VR technology was then used in engineering, entertainment, education, and even medical settings. Rizzo and Kim (2005) found that both the therapist and the patient benefit from the use of virtual reality technology in rehabilitation. Therapists can utilize virtual reality surgical simulation to improve performance in real surgery by planning ahead of time. Patients with psychological issues, on the other hand, can be treated in secure virtual rehabilitation settings. Copyright © 2017, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
VR technology not only provides a safe environment for patients to do exercises, but also increases their physical and mental fidelity to do so (Lau et al., 2020). The VR environment enables real-time data collection and analysis, allowing therapists to alter and monitor patient development in order to improve rehabilitation efficiency and effectiveness (De Mauro, 2011). Celinder and Peoples (2012) strongly supported VR now being used on patients with psychosocial issues, neuromotor diseases, and cognitive issues. Moreover, VR has been applied for educational and training purposes in the medical field (Lau et al., 2021). The most common illnesses treated in VR rehabilitation include stroke (Fong et al., 2021), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Parkinson's disease (Laver et al., 2015). Currently, there are only a few occupational disease applications. According to Liu and Chiang (2020), De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis - a kind of tendonitis over the thumb and wrist, is due to tendon sheath inflammation. For the past twelve years, De Quervain's Tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm has ranked first among occupational disorders. Tendinosis is more common since there is a lack of public awareness of tendon problems. Rehabilitation also emphasizes on both the prevention and treatment of tendonitis.
VR has been used in other types of sickness rehabilitation, and it has been shown to increase patient or user motivation and promote a safe virtual environment (VE) (De Mauro, 2011). There have been numerous studies on the feasibility and escalation of patient motivation through the use of virtual reality in rehabilitation (Fidopiasti et al., 2006). However, existing VR rehabilitation technology is primarily aimed towards patients with psychosocial issues, neuromotor disorders, and cognitive issues. Although there are some VR rehabilitation games for stroke or PTSD patients, there is little research or application for occupational disorders, particularly De Quervain's Tendinosis. It is perceived that the main favorable advantage of employing VR is to increase patient motivation. Weiss et al. (2006) stressed that motivation is essential for efficient rehabilitation, so VR can be used to treat occupational disorders encouragingly.
The objective of this project is to develop preventive VR scenarios that focus on finger and wrist exercises. The VR game not only allows patients or users to be treated more engagingly, but also raises public awareness of repetitive cumulative trauma disorders and thereby reduces the risk of tendonitis. The intended audience for the game is individuals who have not been diagnosed with De Quervain's Tendinosis or any other tendon problems in their arms or shoulders. The game allows players to be treated more interactively while also raising public awareness of tendon problems. To develop a VR game, an idea is produced and tweaked several times in order to deliver the most user-friendly VR game environment at a reasonable cost. A non-immersive VR game is developed at the end of the project. The Leap Motion Controller (LMC) is employed as a gesture sensor device to regulate the software's feedback. A thorough and well-researched examination of VR and its applications, as well as tendon diseases, is completed afterward. Evaluation of the developed game, followed by testing results and questions from testers is done at the end.