Why XR Will Become a Standard of Care in the Next 10 Years

In rehabilitation, we are entering a new phase of innovation. This shift is not about replacing clinicians but enhancing how we deliver care. Extended Reality (XR), which includes virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, is moving rapidly from a “nice-to-have” to a “necessary” tool in modern therapy.

Over the next decade, XR will become part of the standard therapeutic process. This is not because it’s new, but because it’s effective. Three key trends are driving this change: evidence is maturing, policy is creating access, and clinical delivery is now simple and scalable.

Most importantly, we are seeing what matters most to every clinician: our patients are engaging more, practicing more, and improving functionally.

The Evidence Is Moving from Experimental to Essential

As physical therapists, we rely on evidence to guide care. The research on immersive therapy is now robust and clinically meaningful.

In stroke rehabilitation alone, by 2023 there were nearly 200 published studies exploring the use of virtual reality in therapy. The most recent Cochrane review (Laver et al., 2025) concludes that VR produces measurable improvements in upper limb function, balance, and activity performance compared with standard therapy. These benefits are most significant when XR is used to supplement conventional therapy rather than replace it.

That aligns with what we observe in practice. When XR is used to extend practice time, such as during self-guided sessions between visits; it reinforces the principles of neuroplasticity: repetition, intensity, and task-specific engagement.

The same trend is clear in pain management. Meta-analyses (Luo et al., 2024; Zhou et al., 2024) show that immersive VR reduces both acute and chronic pain compared with traditional interventions. Mechanisms include sensory distraction, cognitive reframing, and activation of descending inhibitory pathways.

In real-world terms, that might mean a burn patient tolerates wound care longer, a chronic pain patient moves with less fear, or a child completes therapy with reduced distress. These are measurable, functional outcomes that translate directly to improved participation and performance.

Technology Is Now Built for Clinical Reality

Early versions of VR were bulky, complex, and difficult to implement. That is no longer the case.

Modern XR headsets are lightweight, easy to clean, and quick to set up. Clinical software is purpose-built, designed around progression, feedback, and measurable outcomes. This evolution makes XR a natural fit in therapy environments.

For physical and occupational therapists, XR doesn’t replace hands-on care. It enhances it.

• Stroke and TBI: XR provides repetitive, engaging upper-limb and dual-task training that can continue independently between sessions.
  

• Vestibular rehabilitation: Immersive gaze stabilization and tracking exercises allow patients to tolerate visual motion and head movement in realistic environments.
  

• Orthopedic and chronic pain: Distraction-based XR experiences help patients overcome guarded movement patterns and rebuild confidence.
  

• Visual and performance rehab: XR activities targeting fixation, accommodation, and tracking are improving visual function needed for reading, driving, and daily activities.
  

These applications reflect what many therapists already report in clinics: patients work longer, move better, and stay motivated when immersed in meaningful, goal-driven activity.

Engagement Is the Bridge Between Intention and Outcome

Every therapist knows the challenge of maintaining motivation. Even the most carefully designed plan fails without engagement.

XR therapy transforms repetitive practice into immersive experience. Patients receive instant feedback and can see their progress in real time. As they reach, turn, balance, and focus, they practice longer without realizing it.

This level of engagement stimulates emotional and cognitive systems that reinforce learning and motor adaptation. For younger patients, therapy feels playful and rewarding. For older adults, it fosters independence and confidence.

From a clinical perspective, engagement becomes something measurable and modifiable. It is no longer a byproduct of therapy; it is a treatment variable. XR gives clinicians a way to capture it, sustain it, and turn it into measurable outcomes.

Simplicity and Scalability Are Driving Adoption

One of the biggest reasons XR is becoming mainstream is how easy it has become to implement. Device management systems now allow clinics to set up, customize, and secure XR experiences quickly and safely.

This matters for all practice sizes.

For smaller private practices, XR provides access to advanced rehabilitation tools without additional IT or equipment costs. For hospitals and large systems, it supports consistent, standardized care across multiple facilities.

Clinicians can also track usage data, duration, and engagement metrics; valuable information that complements functional outcomes and patient-reported measures.

In short, XR is no longer a technology project. It is a clinical tool.

From Adjunct to Expectation

Every major advancement in rehabilitation, mirror therapy, constraint-induced movement therapy, task-specific training; started as an adjunct before becoming standard. XR is following that same path.

As professional societies and payers review the growing body of evidence, XR is likely to gain formal recognition for specific uses, including stroke recovery, vestibular rehabilitation, chronic pain management, and visual-motor retraining.

Once that happens, the question will no longer be “Should we use XR?” but “Which XR applications best fit this patient’s goals?”

When we give patients tools that make therapy engaging, measurable, and accessible, we enhance not only their outcomes but also the quality and consistency of care we provide. That is where the profession is heading; and XR will be a core part of it.

References (APA)

• Bachrach, A., et al. (2025). CFIR User Guide. Implementation Science, 20, 39.

• Laver, K. E., et al. (2025). Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation. Cochrane.

• Luo, H., et al. (2024). Efficacy of immersive VR for procedural pain: Systematic review & meta-analysis. BMC Medicine, 22, 266.

• Zhou, H., et al. (2024). VR-guided mindfulness and chronic pain: Narrative synthesis. Frontiers in Pain Research, 5, 1291374.

• Frontiers Editorial. (2025). Current status of VR research in healthcare: Bibliometrics. Frontiers in Virtual Reality.

• WHO Global Observatory. (2024). Number of trials by year (ICTRP). World Health Organization.