The following is a summary of “Impact of an immersive digital therapeutic tool on experimental pain: A pilot randomized within-subject experiment with an active control condition,” published in the May 2024 issue of Pain by Diallo et al.

Given the potential of Virtual reality (VR) to manage pain, researchers evaluated an immersive VR environment designed initially for endometriosis to assess its analgesic effects.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the effect of a 3D VR environment with binaural beats on experimental pain intensity and unpleasantness compared to a 2D control group while also exploring psychological and psychophysical predictors of pain relief from this immersive VR tool.

They engaged 21 healthy individuals and employed a within-subject setup, contrasting VR therapy with an active control state. A Peltier thermode administered continuous heat to the left forearm. Ratings for pain intensity were gathered to assess immediate and short-term impacts.

The results showed both VR and Control groups exhibited no notable variations in pain intensity pre-, during, and post-exposure. However, VR exposure showed a noteworthy decrease in pain unpleasantness compared to pre-exposure (P<0.001), with a 27.2% pain reduction. Conversely, the control group displayed no significant pain unpleasantness changes during and after exposure. Moreover, no psychological or psychophysical factors forecasted the analgesic effects.

Investigators concluded that the VR environment with binaural beats effectively reduced the emotional component of experimentally induced pain during exposure but lacked lasting effects and may be more suitable for patients with chronic pain experiencing high distress.

Source: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpain.2024.1366892/abstract