Effect of Oculus Guided Physical Therapy in Adjunct to Conventional Therapy in Lateral Epicondylitis Patients

Background: Lateral epicondylitis (LE) is a very common condition musculoskeletal in nature affecting the elbow, causing significant pain, disability and loss of grip strength. The conservative management program for lateral epicondylitis includes rest, cryotherapy, and ultrasound, stretching and strengthening exercises. The Oculus Quest is a virtual reality headset. The oculus adventure game ‘Hand Physics Lab' encourages you to try virtual reality in a new way by providing you complete control over your hands and fingers. VR is a developing technology that can be a valuable supplement to conventional therapeutic modalities.

Methods: In this study, a total of 60 patients with lateral epicondylitis will be included and divided into two groups of 30 participants each of age group 25-45 years. Group A will undergo conservative management of lateral epicondylitis and Group B will undergo oculus therapy by a hand tracking game ‘Hand Physics Lab’ along with the conservative management. Visual analog scale, Range Of Motion, PRTEE scale are used as outcome measures before and after the treatment and results will be analyzed.

Discussion: In this study the effect of oculus guided therapy with conventional Physiotherapy over conventional physiotherapy will be investigated in improving functional level and reducing pain in patients with LE. Individuals in mechanical professions or recreational activities with repetitive stress and intensive usage of forearm muscles are more likely to develop lateral epicondylitis. Physical therapy is now widely accepted as a standard treatment option for persistent lateral epicondylitis. Furthermore, this study can be useful in applying recent advancement in virtual reality for the betterment of health. This study can provide virtual reality in tennis elbow patients for improved motion control, improved quality of life and more patient entertainment to encourage motor learning.