Safety and Tolerability of an Innovative Virtual Reality-Based Deep Breathing Exercise in Concussion Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

Objective

To examine the safety and tolerability of a virtual reality-based deep breathing exercise for children and adolescents who are slow to recover from concussion. Methods: Fifteen participants (ages 11 to 22; mean = 16.9 years) were recruited from a specialty concussion clinic within a tertiary care medical center. Participants completed a 5-min paced deep breathing exercise administered via a virtual reality headset. Results: Nearly all participants (93.3%) reported the experience was either positive or extremely positive. No participants reported significant discomfort or discontinued the exercise. Three participants reported a mild increase in headache, dizziness, or nausea. Participants reported significant decreases in stress (r =.57), tension (r =.73), fatigue (r =.73), and confusion (r =.67), with large effect sizes, following the deep breathing exercise. Conclusion: A brief, virtual reality-based deep breathing exercise is worthy of additional study as a rehabilitation component for children and adolescents with prolonged concussion recoveries.

KEYWORDS:

• Concussion
• pediatric rehabilitation
• deep breathing
• virtual reality

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank Dawn O’Connor, RN for her assistance with recruitment and study coordination. We also thank the patients and their families who took part in this study. Further, we wish to thank Kyle, Tom, and Toby at Rendever for their technical assistance.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Louis V. Gerstner III Research Scholar Award. Grant Iverson, Ph.D. acknowledges unrestricted philanthropic support from ImPACT Applications, Inc., the Mooney-Reed Charitable Foundation, and the Spaulding Research Institute.