Section 02
Applications and use cases
Three areas where systematic reviews exist, what they found, and how far each finding can be trusted.
We only describe an application here when a systematic review exists. Each entry links to a structured summary with the full limits. This is general information, not medical advice.
Rehabilitation · Adults after stroke
Stroke rehabilitation
A 2025 Cochrane review pooled 190 trials with 7,188 participants. VR may slightly improve arm function and activity, with small benefits for balance. Gains were clearer when VR was added to usual therapy rather than replacing it.
Mental health · Adolescents and adults
Anxiety
A 2025 meta-analysis of 33 randomised trials found VR was associated with lower anxiety than usual care, waitlist or placebo, and a smaller effect against active comparisons. VR exposure therapy showed a larger effect than VR used only as distraction. Most trials studied anxiety around medical procedures, not diagnosed anxiety disorders.
Exposure-based treatment is delivered by a qualified mental health practitioner.
Paediatrics · Ages 4 to 21
Children's pain and fear during needles
A 2022 systematic review of VR as distraction during needle procedures found lower pain and fear in pooled studies. The authors rated most studies as low quality, and almost all were in hospitals.
Other uses
VR is being studied in many other areas. We add an application here only once we have read a systematic review and summarised it, limits included. If you know of a review we should cover, tell us.