  This study is concerned with the application of virtual reality (VR) in
rehabilitation programs for faulty neck posture which is a primary source of
neck pain (NP). The latter is a highly prevalent musculoskeletal disorder that
is associated with serious societal and economic burden. VR has been shown to
be effective in the physical rehabilitation of various diseases. Specifically,
it has been shown to improve the adherence of patients and engagement to carry
out physical exercises on a regular basis. Many games have been used to manage
NP with different immersion levels. Towards this goal, we present a VR-based
system that targets a specific neck problem, the so called forward head posture
(FHP), which is a faulty head position that abnormally stresses neck
structures. The system can also generalize well to other neck-related disorders
and rehabilitation goals. We show the steps for designing and developing the
system, and we highlight the aspects of interaction between usability and
various game elements. Using a three-point scale for user experience, we also
present preliminary insights on the evaluation of the system prototype, and we
discuss future enhancement directions based on the feedback from users.
