New research claims that virtual reality distraction therapy showed a greater reduction in pain immediately after intervention compared to traditional methods.
Researchers at the Georgetown University School of Medicine carried out a randomised, controlled trial at an urban academic
hospital comparing VR against an active control to mitigate moderate-severe cancer disease and treatment-related pain.
128 adult hospitalised patients
with cancer were randomised to 10 minutes of immersive VR distraction therapy or 10 minutes of 2D guided imagery distraction
therapy delivered by a handheld tablet.
While both groups experienced improved self-reported pain scores, those randomised to undergo the
VR experience saw a significantly greater reduction in pain immediately after intervention compared with the active control experience. The
difference was sustained for 24 hours after the experience, with the VR group reporting improvement of pain agitation and
general distress.
The VR experience offered more drug-free pain relief than active control, with the benefit observed to last long
after the conclusion of the intervention.
This research follows similar conclusions drawn up by the US Food & Drug
Administration (FDA), which authorised a prescription-based VR system to treat chronic lower back pain in 2021.
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