Virtual reality and pain management
Virtual Reality vs Pain: How VR is revolutionising pain management.
VR reduces Chronic Pain by 33% and can help 34% of UK population
The Genesis of VR in Pain Management: SnowWorld
Between bandage changes and wound cleanings, burn patients tend to experience some of the most intense pain known in medicine. SnowWorld was therefore developed in 2003 by researchers Hunter Hoffman and David Patterson at UW to combat the intense pain that burn patients were experiencing. Opioids were not even coming close to removing the intense pain signals and were interfering with the patients’ abilities to engage in other important parts of treatment such as physiotherapy. Moreover, opioids work by dulling the pain, but when the pain is intense, severe, and constant, there is a clear limit for how much pain they can intercept. See here for research showing VR’s impact on pain vs opioids.
To provide relief for their patients, Dr.Patterson and Dr.Hoffman created an icy VR tundra called SnowWorld that would not only distract patients from the pain, but also transform some of the sensations from burning pain to the burn of freezing cold. See for yourself:
For more information on the science behind this, please see Virtual Reality as an Adjunctive Non-pharmacologic Analgesic for Acute Burn Pain During Medical Procedures.
What is acute pain?
The Evolution: VR's Expanding Role in Pain Management
Chronic Pain: The Silent Epidemic and VR's Response
How we at SyncVR are transforming chronic pain relief:
At SyncVR, we use applications called Reducept and HypnoVR for managing chronic pain. They use diverse cognitive therapies including ACT, mindfulness, and hypnotherapy to give patients tools to manage their chronic pain.
It starts out by educating patients about the biological mechanisms behind chronic pain and then moves on to a series of games designed to give patients the feeling of control over their pain. It also uses EMDR – a therapy traditionally used in trauma patients to help decrease their response to their pain while being in a safe environment.
The goal is to teach patients skills to manage their pain so that after several sessions, they can then apply those skills even if they are not using the headset at the moment of experiencing pain.
The Future: Collaborative Research and Expanding Horizons
SyncVR Medical is at the forefront of understanding VR’s capabilities. As a platform, we are able to provide a wide variety of distraction and immersion techniques, ranging from games to mindfulness and even medical hypnosis. These target the pain responses from a wide variety of angles and allow for a more comprehensive approach to pain management.
We are also open for collaboration with researchers interested in understanding how VR can help patients reduce chronic pain, particularly in how the different populations will respond to various VR treatments. Our collaboration with Dr. Stephen Quinn from Imperial College London is also a testament to our commitment to advancing VR’s role in healthcare. As we continue to explore and innovate, we invite researchers and medical professionals to join us in this exciting journey.