Research Status and Emerging Trends in Virtual Reality Rehabilitation: Bibliometric and Knowledge Graph Study

Abstract

Background Virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely used in rehabilitation training because of its immersive, interactive, and imaginative features. A comprehensive bibliometric review is required to help researchers focus on future directions based on the new definitions of VR technologies in rehabilitation, which reveal new situations and requirements. Objective Herein, we aimed to summarize effective research methods for and potential innovative approaches to VR rehabilitation by evaluating publications from various countries to encourage research on efficient strategies to improve VR rehabilitation. Methods The SCIE (Science Citation Index Expanded) database was searched on January 20, 2022, for publications related to the application of VR technology in rehabilitation research. We found 1617 papers, and we created a clustered network, using the 46,116 references cited in the papers. CiteSpace V (Drexel University) and VOSviewer (Leiden University) were used to identify countries, institutions, journals, keywords, cocited references, and research hot spots. Results A total of 63 countries and 1921 institutes have contributed publications. The United States of America has taken the leading position in this field; it has the highest number of publications; the highest h-index; and the largest collaborative network, which includes other countries. The reference clusters of SCIE papers were divided into the following nine categories: kinematics, neurorehabilitation, brain injury, exergames, aging, motor rehabilitation, mobility, cerebral palsy, and exercise intensity. The research frontiers were represented by the following keywords: video games (2017-2021), and young adults (2018-2021). Conclusions Our study comprehensively assesses the current research state of VR rehabilitation and analyzes the current research hot spots and future trends in the field, with the aims of providing resources for more intensive investigation and encouraging more researchers to further develop VR rehabilitation.

Effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Hand Rehabilitation Games for Improving Hand Motor Functions in Subacute Stroke Patients

“…Fan. T [23] , found that VR gaming significantly enhanced motor recovery and promoted stroke patients' treatment plans. VR based games gaining popularity but still need to be explored for effective stroke rehabilitation.…”

An exploration of knowledge‐organizing technologies to advance transdisciplinary back pain research

“…23 Combining LLM and KGs to ensure LLM output factualness: A knowledge graph represents a network of real‐world entities—that is, objects, events, situations, or concepts—and illustrates the relationships between them. Clinical researchers have built various LBP‐related knowledge graphs, for example, encoding the LBP concepts and knowledge and their interrelations with a focus on Virtual Reality rehabilitation 24 and central sensitization. 25 Unlike LLMs, whose knowledge is implicit and difficult to scrutinize, a KG explicitly visualizes the concepts and knowledge it learns from medical texts.…”

Virtual Reality–Based Neurorehabilitation Support Tool for People With Cognitive Impairments Resulting From an Acquired Brain Injury: Usability and Feasibility Study

“…Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a swiftly advancing technology, garnering recent popularity as a promising support tool for neurorehabilitation among individuals with ABI [10][11][12][13]. Using VR in rehabilitation represents a versatile, captivating, and multifaceted approach capable of addressing patients' sensorimotor and cognitive capacities, thereby eliciting positive responses.…”

“…As the term "virtual reality" can encompass various computer-based rehabilitation system types across studies and may influence the feasibility and efficacy of interventions, maintaining consistent terminology is crucial [12,16]. In 1999, Brooks [17] defined a VR experience as "any in which the user is effectively immersed in a responsive virtual world.…”

“…Despite the increasing interest in the utilization of VR technology, there remains a considerable degree of heterogeneity among health applications. The majority of studies using VR for rehabilitation have focused on addressing motor impairments following a stroke, rather than exploring other rehabilitation objectives or types of brain injuries [10,12]. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the most commonly used output devices are flat screens and older-generation headsets [16].…”