Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review
Name
11916_2024_1246_ReferencePDF.pdf
Size
3.85 MB
Format
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Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Moreau, Sacha
Thérond, Alexandra
Cerda, Ivo H.
Studer, Kachina
Pan, Alicia
Tharpe, Jacob
Crowther, Jason E.
Abd-Elsayed, Alaa
Gilligan, Chris
Tolba, Reda
Date Issued
April 8, 2024
Journal
Current Pain and Headache Reports
Publisher
Springer US
Citation
Moreau, S., Thérond, A., Cerda, I.H. et al. Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review. Curr Pain Headache Rep 28, 893–928 (2024).
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Purpose of Review This review critically analyzes the recent literature on virtual reality’s (VR) use in acute and chronic pain management, offering insights into its efficacy, applications, and limitations. Recent Findings Recent studies, including meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials, have demonstrated VR’s effectiveness in reducing pain intensity in various acute pain scenarios, such as procedural/acute pain and in chronic pain conditions. The role of factors such as immersion and presence in enhancing VR’s efficacy has been emphasized. Further benefits have been identified in the use of VR for assessment as well as symptom gathering through conversational avatars. However, studies are limited, and strong conclusions will require further investigation. Summary VR is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological intervention in pain management for acute and chronic pain. However, its long-term efficacy, particularly in chronic pain management, remains an area requiring further research. Key findings highlight that VR programs vary in efficacy depending on the specificity of the origin of pain.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-024-01246-2
