OBJECTIVE: To establish the areas of research focus in the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine, analyze its themes and trends, and offer a reference for future related research in this field. METHODS: This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the development process, areas of research focus, and research trends in the field of the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine, using the Web of Science core dataset as the source and using a bibliometric analysis with CiteSpace. RESULTS: The application of VR in rehabilitation medicine was composed of three stages, and the research topics were reviewed from five perspectives: neurological rehabilitation, psychological treatment, pain distraction, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and visual-spatial disorder. LIMITATIONS: The research data were sourced from the Web of Science core dataset only, and the data-sample size was not comprehensive. CONCLUSIONS: Overcoming VR-technology-induced vertigo, mental disorders from the overuse of VR, individualized treatments, and integration with traditional therapy are all challenges in the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine that require research. In addition, developing VR products with better experiences, constructing standardized guidelines, and conducting more high-quality clinical studies are all future research topics related to the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine.