A virtual rehabilitation program after amputation: a phenomenological exploration

AbstractPurpose: This study provides an analysis of bodily experiences of a man with a lower leg amputation who used a virtual rehabilitation program. Method: The study reports data from semi-structured interviews with a 32-year veteran who used a virtual environment during rehabilitation. The interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results: During this rehabilitation program, he initially experienced his body as an object, which he had to handle carefully. As he went along with the training sessions, however, he was more stimulated to react directly without being aware of the body’s position. In order to allow himself to react spontaneously, he needed to gain trust in the device. This was fostered by his narrative, in which he stressed how the device mechanically interacts with his movements. Conclusion: The use of a virtual environment facilitated the process of re-inserting one’s body into the flow of one’s experience in two opposite, but complementary ways: (1) i...