Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jun 3;13(11):1328.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare13111328.

Effects of Virtual Reality on Adults Diagnosed with Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review

Rocío García-de-la-Banda-García  1 , David Cruz-Díaz  2 , Juan Francisco García-Vázquez  1 , María Del Mar Martínez-Lentisco  3 , Felipe León-Morillas  2
Affiliations
Review

Effects of Virtual Reality on Adults Diagnosed with Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review

Rocío García-de-la-Banda-García et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/objectives: Non-specific low back pain represents a high number of primary care consultations, generating a great social and economic cost. There is a higher prevalence in women, and it may be associated with multiple factors. One of the most innovative tools in rehabilitation is virtual reality-based therapy. Virtual reality positively affects the motivation of participants and generates greater adherence to treatment, so this factor could lead to long-term functional improvement. The objective of this review is to update the effectiveness of virtual reality programs on pain, disability, kinesiophobia, and changes in the thoracoabdominal musculature in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain.

Methodology: PubMed, PEDro, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were used in this systematic review. The research question was formulated using PICOS. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used. Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trials, participants were men and/or women over 18 years of age who were diagnosed with chronic non-specific low back pain, and articles that included virtual reality as a treatment. Articles with a level of evidence lower than 5/10 on the PEDro scale were excluded.

Results: A total of 14 studies were included with sample sizes between 34 and 188 participants. Studies showed significant improvements in pain reduction, kinesiophobia, and disability (inflammation and motor control). Some studies showed long-term benefits, with effects maintained up to 18 months post-intervention, especially in the reduction in pain and its interference with daily activities.

Conclusions: The findings of this systematic review support the efficacy of virtual reality as an effective and safe therapeutic option for the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain.

Keywords: chronic low back pain; exercise; low back pain; rehabilitation; virtual reality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Palacios-Ceña D., Alonso-Blanco C., Hernández-Barrera V., Carrasco-Garrido P., Jiménez-García R., Fernández-de-las-Peñas C. Prevalence of neck and low back pain in community-dwelling adults in Spain: An updated population-based national study (2009/10–2011/12) Eur. Spine J. 2015;24:482–492. doi: 10.1007/s00586-014-3567-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Peña A., Gestoso M., Kovacs F., Mufraggi N. Escuela Española de la Espalda: Prevención y rehabilitación de las patologías mecánicas del raquis. Med. Fam.-SEMERGEN. 1997;5:16–22.
    1. Paolucci T., Attanasi C., Cecchini W., Marazzi A., Capobianco S.V., Santilli V. Chronic low back pain and postural rehabilitation exercise: A literature review. J. Pain Res. 2018;12:95–107. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S171729. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Insausti Valdivia J. [Non-specific lower back pain: In search of the origin of pain] Reumatol. Clin. 2009;5((Suppl. 2)):19–26. doi: 10.1016/j.reuma.2009.04.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carmona L., Ballina J., Gabriel R., Laffon A., EPISER Study Group The burden of musculoskeletal diseases in the general population of Spain: Results from a national survey. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2001;60:1040–1045. doi: 10.1136/ard.60.11.1040. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources