Modern post-stroke rehabilitation: from conventional therapy to virtual reality and artificial intelligence

Aim: To evaluate whether technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) offer advantages over traditional rehabilitation in post-stroke patients and to compare these approaches in the context of modern neurological rehabilitation.

Materials and Methods: This review includes clinical studies conducted in post-stroke patients using both traditional rehabilitation methods and VR- and AIbased approaches. The analysis was based on publications from 2020–2025 retrieved from scientific databases in order to present an overview of recent research from the last five years.

Conclusions: Traditional post-stroke rehabilitation remains a well-established and non-invasive therapeutic approach supported by extensive clinical experience. Virtual reality offers an accessible tool that may enhance motor and cognitive training through interactive and task-oriented environments, although it does not replace comprehensive rehabilitation when used alone. Artificial intelligence enables more precise assessment and personalization of therapy, but its implementation may be limited by high costs and technological requirements. Current evidence suggests that integrating modern technologies such as VR and AI with conventional rehabilitation may provide additional therapeutic benefits compared with single-method approaches. Continued development of these technologies may further support individualized rehabilitation strategies for post-stroke patients.