Virtual Reality's Role in Chronic Pain Relief

Introduction

Virtual Reality is a newly developing technology in this age. We often think of it as a facilitator for entertainment purposes. However, Virtual Reality or VR has its uses in managing chronic pain. Opioids have been in use for a long time and have carried many downsides over the years. This blog will inform you on VR-based methods used to make patients' lives a lot easier.

Method and effect

When patients are suffering from Chronic pain, doctors can use VR to partially alleviate symptoms. Instead of stimulating the patient's mind, VR seeks to calm the patient to a stable state. There are various applications of scenery used to accomplish this goal, such as a blooming forest with birds chirping. The sceneries can be either computer generated or real-world images. To maximize the effect, VR technology can also incorporate narrators guiding and instructing the user to take in the surroundings. (Godman, 2022).

Usage in modern society

According to the FDA (2021), "[they] authorized marketing of EaseVRx, a prescription-use immersive virtual reality (VR) system that uses cognitive behavioral therapy and other behavioral methods to help with pain reduction" (FDA, 2021). This amazing approach by the FDA leads us one step closer to ousting opioids and hopefully curving opioid addiction. The cognitive behavioral therapy employed by EaseVRx can fortunately be done at one's home. After patients were treated, the FDA (2021) says that "66% of EaseVRx participants reported a greater than 30% reduction in pain, compared to 41% of control participants who reported a greater than 30% reduction in pain" (FDA, 2021).

Future outlook

In conclusion, VR seems to be one of the perfect replacements for opioid drugs. Although VR treatment for chronic pain may seem justified and nearly infallible, it still needs further validation in order to become more widespread (Li, A. et al, 2011). According to Li, A. et al (2011), "future studies should look at the effectiveness of immersive VR programs for the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome and other chronic pain conditions" (Li, A. et al, 2011). These include investigations with larger sample sizes or refined procedures (Li, A. et al, 2011).

References

Godman, H. (2022, April 1). Virtual reality for chronic pain relief. Harvard Health Publishing -

Harvard Medical School. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/

virtual-reality-for-chronic-pain-relief

Food and Drug Administration. (2021, November 16). FDA authorizes marketing of virtual reality

system for chronic pain reduction. U.S Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved May 22, 2022,

from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/

fda-authorizes-marketing-virtual-reality-system-chronic-pain-reduction

Li, A., Montaño, Z., Chen, V. J., & Gold, J. I. (2011). Virtual reality and pain management: current trends and future directions. Pain management, 1(2), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.2217/pmt.10.15

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