Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review

Sacha Moreau^#¹, Alexandra Thérond^#², Ivo H Cerda^#^{3

4}, Kachina Studer^#^{5

6}, Alicia Pan⁷, Jacob Tharpe⁸, Jason E Crowther⁸, Alaa Abd-Elsayed⁹, Chris Gilligan³, Reda Tolba¹⁰, Sait Ashina^{11

12}, Michael E Schatman^{13

14}, Alan D Kaye¹⁵, R Jason Yong³, Christopher L Robinson¹²

Affiliations

¹ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA.
² Department of Psychology, Université du Québec a Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal, QC, H2X 3P2, Canada. therond.alexandra@courrier.uqam.ca.
³ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁴ Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁶ Department Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁷ Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
⁸ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA.
⁹ Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
¹⁰ Pain Management Department in the Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
¹¹ Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
¹² Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
¹³ Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Population Health-Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38587725
DOI: 10.1007/s11916-024-01246-2

Review

Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review

Sacha Moreau et al. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2024 Sep.

. 2024 Sep;28(9):893-928.

doi: 10.1007/s11916-024-01246-2. Epub 2024 Apr 8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA.
² Department of Psychology, Université du Québec a Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal, QC, H2X 3P2, Canada. therond.alexandra@courrier.uqam.ca.
³ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁴ Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁶ Department Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁷ Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
⁸ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA.
⁹ Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
¹⁰ Pain Management Department in the Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
¹¹ Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
¹² Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
¹³ Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Population Health-Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38587725
DOI: 10.1007/s11916-024-01246-2

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. 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.

Keywords: Acute pain; Chronic pain; Digital therapeutics; Immersive technology; Pain management; Virtual reality.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

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Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review

Affiliations

Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Research Materials