Effectiveness of Virtual Reality-Assisted Physical Therapy in the Acute Phase After Lumbar Disc Surgery

VR Assisted PT intervention, combines a standardized postoperative physical therapy program with an additional 20-minute immersive VR session. The VR component is relaxation-focused and interactive, making the total session length 60 minutes. The distinguishing feature is the integration of VR technology into early rehabilitation after lumbar disc surgery, which is not part of conventional therapy.

This intervention consists of the same standardized physical therapy program as the VR group, delivered for 60 minutes daily by increasing exercise repetitions and intensity. The distinguishing feature is that it does not include any VR component, allowing direct comparison of physical therapy alone versus VR-assisted therapy.