Virtual reality (VR) could reduce types of pain typically seen in patients with nerve injuries and could boost the dysfunctional pain suppression system, giving people with chronic pain a possible game-changing hope, researchers from the University of Plymouth suggest.
Dr Sam Hughes, Lecturer in Psychology, led the study, which focused on conditioned pain modulation (CPM) – a pain inhibitory pathway in humans.
In a previous study published in PAIN Reports, he and colleagues at Imperial College London suggest that watching soothing 360-degree scenes of the Arctic in virtual reality can help to ease pain symptoms similar to those experienced during sunburn.
In the current study, published in The Journal of Pain, they suggest that VR can also reduce pain symptoms such as prickling and pain following touch, that are often seen in patients with nerve injury, as well as have a direct effect on CPM.
The study suggests that 360-degree scenes of the Arctic in virtual reality had an effect on the CPM efficiency, while the 2D versions of the same scenes (described as “sham VR”) reduced CPM efficiency.
CPM is dysfunctional in patients with nerve injury, so by knowing what can enhance its action, scientists can help to stimulate the body’s natural pain-inhibiting process, a media release from University of Plymouth explains.
“It’s brilliant that we’ve seen these results as it shows more evidence that virtual reality can not only reduce pain perception in human models of chronic pain, but also gives us insight into the mechanisms behind this effect. The next step of course is to conduct the study with people who experience chronic pain to see if it works for them.
“If it does work, it could be a really helpful in forming part of ongoing pain management by helping to target the dysfunctions in the brain that underpin chronic pain.”
— Dr Sam Hughes
[Source(s): University of Plymouth, EurekAlert]
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