The purposes of this study were twofold: (1) to describe a new technological solution for
the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries based on virtual reality (VR) gaming, and (2) to analyze
the variation in rated perceived exertion (RPE) and heart rate (HR) of the participants when
undergoing a rehabilitation session based on different VR games. Thirty-seven participants aged
23.7 ± 7.0 years tested during five customized VR games to provide a complete rehabilitation session
after a musculoskeletal injury. The results of the Friedman test indicated a statistically significant
difference in RPE scale and HR across the five VR games throughout a complete rehabilitation
session (χ2 (4, n = 35) = 75.59; p < 0.001 and χ2 (4, n = 35) = 27.75, p < 0.001, respectively). RPE and HR
increased significantly from Game 1 to Game 2 (z = –5.16, p < 0.001), from Game 1 to Game 3 (z = –
5.05, p < 0.001), from Game 1 to Game 4 (z = –4.87, p < 0.001), and from Game 1 to Game 5 (z = –3.61,
p < 0.001). Moreover, the results showed a high perceived usability of the system, greater intrinsic
motivation to perform the rehabilitation exercises, a high level of immersion, and a good experience
in the VR gaming environment. Our study stimulates extended intervention programs following up on this immersive virtual reality rehabilitation system to support soccer players recovering from
musculoskeletal injuries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
