For patients struggling with chronic pain, recent developments in ongoing studies in Virtual Reality (VR) pain distraction has been proven to be effective at reducing pain felt during their VR sessions – in some cases, VR treatment was twice as effective as morphine.
Studies on VR pain mitigation began in 1996 by industry veteran Howard Rose at the Human Interface Technology Lab (HITLab) at the University of Washington. The first experience created by HITLab, designed by psychologist Hunter Hoffman, was SnowWorld, an experimental, tundra-themed therapy treatment that would immerse burn victims in a videogame that guided them through a frozen canyon with the goal of throwing snowballs at penguins and snowmen. The thought behind SnowWorld are based on two theories in psychology: Gate Control and limited-capacity of attention. By leveraging VR to capitalize on those two theories, patients’ attention is diverted away from negative stimuli (the chronic pain) towards positive stimuli (the VR experience).
The initial success of SnowWorld was followed up with Mobius Floe, a game which used the similar mechanics and aesthetics as SnowWorld, but with updated VR technology and game design. Clinical trials have proven promising so far. In a sample of 40 participants with each receiving 60 VR sessions, all but one participant reported reduced pain. Specifically, participants reported feeling 60 to 70 percent less pain than before their VR sessions. Immediately after a single session, participants reported 30 to 50 percent less pain. Morphine, on the other hand, averages around a 30 percent pain reduction.
Here some of the overall takeaways from the SnowWorld and Mobius Floe studies from Medium contributor Nick Randolph:
Physical & Digital Safety
Because patients are likely not to have a full range of movement, the hardware and software should be designed as to not cause the patient any more pain than they are already experiencing from unnecessary interactions.
Easily Understandable Objectives
The experience’s objectives should be simple enough that someone under heavy sedation will be able to beat the game.
Aesthetically Pleasing Visuals & Audio
A pleasing atmosphere for the user to inhabit and play in gives them an experience that distracts from the sterile, crowded hospital room or doctor’s office.
Emphasis on User Wellness
Since the VR experience has to be built around the patient’s constraints and pain, it has to protect them from the stressful and painful life outside.
We’ve written about the potential applications of VR in the medical field, so this specific testing is a promising sign that Virtual and other Extended Realities may make their way to healthcare soon.
What are your thoughts about using VR to help mitigate pain? Sound off in the comments down below!
Sources
“VR for Pain Distraction” by Nick Randolph
“Study: VR twice as effective as morphine at treating pain” by Bryan Clark
“Virtual reality as an adjunctive pain control during burn wound care in adolescent patients”
