The effect of interactive virtual reality on pain perception: a systematic review of clinical studies

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effect of immersive and non-immersive interactive virtual reality on pain perception in patients with a clinical pain condition. Methods: The following databases were searched from inception: Medline (Ovid), PsychInfo, CINAHL, Cochrane library and Web of Science. Two reviewers screened reports and extracted the data. A third reviewer acted as an arbiter. Studies were eligible if they were randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized trials, and uncontrolled trials. Crossover and parallel-group designs were included. Risk of bias was assessed for all included studies. Results: Thirteen clinical studies were included. The majority of studies investigated a sample of participants with chronic pain. Six were controlled trials and seven uncontrolled studies. Controlled research showed that interactive virtual reality reduces pain associated with ankylosing spondylitis and post-mastectomy, but results are inconsistent for patients with neck pain. Findings from uncontrolled studies showed that interactive virtual reality reduced neuropathic limb pain, and phantom limb pain, but had no effect on non-specific chronic back pain. Conclusions: There is not enough evidence upon which to judge the effectiveness of the use of virtual reality for the management of pain.

Eficacia de un tratamiento combinado de terapia manual con realidad mixta en variables motoras y en la modulación del dolor en sujetos con dolor crónico cervical. Ensayo clínico piloto

“…Además, ambos abordajes muestran un tamaño del efecto muy pequeño para esta variable en la comparación pre-post test. Se cree que la RV puede reducir el miedo asociado al movimiento al aumentar la retroalimentación visual del movimiento, pero la literatura es controvertida (Wittkopf et al, 2019). Un reciente estudio que integra el uso de RV en un programa de fisioterapia para el tratamiento del dolor lumbar crónico inespecífico observó cambios estadísticamente significativos en la kinesiofobia, con tamaños del efecto grandes en la comparación pre-post test (Yilmaz Yelvar et al, 2017).…”

‘I want to have virtual reality distraction during my colonoscopy!’

“…Considering the huge variability in any psychological measurement, much larger sample sizes are actually needed for such studies. However, the success of VR technique in other fields, such as pediatrics and orthopedics 5 6 7 8 , suggests that it can make a favorable contribution to the field of endoscopy.…”

System Immersion in Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation of Motor Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Within this field of rehabilitation, the therapeutic effects and value of VR technologies has been evaluated and scrutinized for over two decades, often under the general term of Virtual Rehabilitation (Burdea, 2003;Tieri et al, 2018). Within this highly specialized and diverse field, VR has successfully been applied to rehabilitation for adults with simple phobias (Rothbaum et al, 2006;Parsons and Rizzo, 2008;Powers and Emmelkamp, 2008;Maples-Keller et al, 2017); Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); (Rothbaum et al, 2001;Difede et al, 2007;Kothgassner et al, 2019); acute and chronic pain treatment (Gold et al, 2005;Hoffman et al, 2008;Li et al, 2011;Pourmand et al, 2018;Matamala-Gomez et al, 2019;Wittkopf et al, 2020); post-stroke treatment, brain injury, and various other forms of neurological disorders (Rizzo et al, 2004;Rose et al, 2005;Stewart et al, 2007;Laver et al, 2017;Karamians et al, 2020).…”