When Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri Ramnath suffered a brain haemorrhage in March 2023, the singer was unable to sit, stand, or move. Involuntary neck and jaw tremors made even speech, an uphill task, forget singing. Traditional physiotherapy, with its repetitive routines, felt painful, monotonous and dispiriting. Recovery seemed distant, and she shut herself from social circles. Then came Jerry — not a real person, but a lively, animated coach inside a virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation program.Restoring mobility with cartoonsIn one of the games, “Save the Jerry”, set on a sunlit beach, the avatar nudged her to stand up and walk. Through immersive sessions, each small motion made Jerry dance and cheer, turning therapy into play. Other games targeted different challenges — like restoring neck mobility, controlling her left shoulder, or helping her relax and reduce involuntary movements. They were set in storylines featuring forests and snowy mountains, where she rescued birds and gathered fruit for penguins, or prayed peacefully at a temple.“I looked forward to these sessions. Recovery became less about gruelling effort. It was about play, progress, and hope,” said the 60-year-old singer, who has sung in multiple languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, and English. A year later, in Dec 2024, Jayashri, the fourth generation of artistes in her family and trained by legends like Lalgudi Jayaraman and T R Balamani, stood on stage once again, this time to receive the Music Academy’s Sangita Kalanidhi award. “I haven’t done a fullfledged concert yet. But I’ve begun recording again. It may not be this Dec, but I plan to restart my kutcheries (Carnatic concerts) soon,” she said.After undergoing brain surgery in the UK, Jayashri returned to India for therapy. She chose to continue most of her physiotherapy at home. The immersive VR program tapped into neuroplasticity, helping her brain rebuild damaged motor pathways through visual and emotional feedback. “It was slow, but I gradually regained strength, coordination, and confidence. These sessions even encouraged me to perform better in speech therapy, too,” she said.While her therapy included the usual mix of physiotherapy and speech exercises, her therapists gradually increased the time spent on digitally prescribed routines to match her progress. Her physiotherapist, Raja from ReWin, a company using digital therapeutics to enhance rehabilitation, said that unlike conventional physiotherapy, the system integrates a wearable motion sensor that tracks joint movement with precision, eliminating human error.“It also gives us quick, repeatable measurements to monitor progress. Combining this technology with immersive VR creates a powerful tool for lower-limb and gait rehabilitation, allowing patients to visualise and experience leg movements for strengthening neuromuscular pathways,” he added.
Exercising via virtual AartisPhysiotherapists point to research showing that engaging in virtual tasks stimulates dopamine release, enhancing motivation and speeding up neural recovery. Dopamine plays a key role in motor memory formation and motivation pathways, which means patients train more effectively and recover faster from neurological injuries. VR and gaming-style immersive tasks activate dopamine-driven reward circuits, improving motor and cognitive outcomes.Digital exercises also allow room for creativity. In one instance, a 66-year-old woman with a frozen shoulder was taken on a virtual journey to the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi. Her therapy involved reaching out to offer digital flowers and rotating her hands during a virtual aarti. These movements were designed to mirror the stretches she needed for recovery, without drawing her attention to the pain. After just one session, she said she felt so much better.“Places of worship are very popular with my patients with Parkinson’s and dementia,” said senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Thineshchandar Andiappan. “It helps them regain a wide range of hand movements.”Doctors say VR is here to stayDigital exercise prescriptions also ensure continuity of care through remote monitoring, progress tracking and consistent engagement. This is why hospitals and rehabilitation centres are increasingly integrating them into postsurgical routines. Dr Andiappan began briefly using the system a year ago, but has steadily increased its use.“Now patients do about half an hour of digital exercises along with traditional ones. Earlier, it was just 15 minutes of digital and 45 minutes of traditional,” he said. The digital format, he added, improves adherence, affordability and accessibility. “Quality of life improves for most patients. The sensors alert them when movements are incorrect or the range is insufficient. They can correct themselves in real time.”At least two govt hospitals in Chennai — the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine and the National Institute of Ageing — now combine traditional and digital therapy. “We cannot replace traditional exercises. They supplement traditional exercises well. We track patient movement range and make timely corrections, improving outcomes,” said physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Dr P Thirunavukkarasu. In the private sector, several companies are offering portable, interactive systems for home use, complete with real-time feedback and guided routines — bringing a new dimension to rehabilitation outside the clinic.How digital rehab worksWho designs games | Bio-engineers and physiotherapists, using inputs from doctors. Some modules are ready-made; others are customised for specific needs of patientsHow patients use it | Patients wear VR (virtual reality) headsets and are connected to motion sensors that track limb movement. Sessions last 20-30 minutes, extendable to 45 minutesCost | 400 to 1,500, depending on assessment and hospitals. In govt facilities where the system is available, sessions are free Go to Source
