Article: Chronic pain sufferers find relief through UK-first (virtual reality)treatment

Sly Saint

Sly Saint

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
People living with chronic pain are being offered a pioneering new treatment involving virtual reality headsets, in what is being described as a UK first. Around 50 patients with long-term conditions have been taking part in a trial of immersive therapy that places them in virtual environments - designed to divert their attention away from pain.
Through the headsets, users are transported into alternate worlds where they engage in interactive activities such as catching meteors, flying kites or even playing volleyball with a dolphin.

The method has shown such promising results that several participants have reportedly reduced their reliance on painkillers like codeine, according to What's The Jam. One patient, Emma Stevens, spoke about how the VR therapy has helped her cope with a serious pain condition.

She explained how the VR sessions provided a welcome distraction: "When I was working with the headset and doing my therapy I wasn't thinking about the pain. It just took me somewhere else where I could do things without discomfort. It is just so helpful."
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Although the software has been utilised internationally since 2017, physiotherapist, Phillipa Newton-Cross, who leads the Pain Rehabilitation Team at Torbay Hospital in Torquay, Devon, revealed they are pioneering its use in the UK. She said: "We are the only NHS Trust in the country who are using CUREO VR therapy software to offer patients an alternative solution to chronic pain rehabilitation. For the past two years we have been exploring how we can improve the lives of patients using methods that avoid medication and promote movement and wellbeing by using VR immersive therapy.

"We have run one-to-one VR clinics with patients and have found some incredible results and benefits to health, including alternatives to medicated pain relief, and how new technology can help patients suffering from chronic pain, long-term health conditions, anxiety and low mood in new and innovative ways.
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It's basically a massive distraction that you have to pay attention to in order for it to work, and so what's the point? It sounds very effortful. Surely what people want is to be able to live their lives while not in pain, rather than having to concentrate on something they don't want to concentrate on.
 
I assumed it would be ridiculous. It's so much dumber than I thought it would be. But the takeaway is that I should change my assumptions and just expect even worse.

Even if the idea had the tiniest bit of merit, people can't keep themselves distracted all the time. Do they think people living in pain should just be living inside VR fantasies 24/7? Or that there should be lasting effects? This is so completely unrealistic, and that's before you take into account how it's delusional to expect anything here.

Also, it appears that EBM is jumping the entire academic chain and announcing in media releases about successful trials while they are ongoing. Because, sure, why not? If outcomes and evidence don't matter, clearly you can simply skip the whole alternative science process of EBM. Why even run trials when you can simply promise that it works. That's what they did with PACE, during the trial, and no one but us is bothered by that. They basically are doing the public press release version of the internal newsletter.

Even worse in all of this is that they lower standards further, they don't even get better results than when the standards are set at the lowest that matters. They don't find a greater effect, it's always just the barest minimum of a subjective blip. The race to the bottom continues.
 
Kitty said:
I reckon it's the travel sickness tablets you have to take before you can even contemplate using a VR headset that knock you out.
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Indeed, and the rest of the classics

I can't be arsed to look up if there is any properly written up paper

But I'm not being cynical to assume here that behind this is the drop-out rate and triaging creating the Krypton Factor effect.

Particularly now it seems it involves going into the hospital itself for it. Probably for a designated appointment time. And however many times in a row being able to do that without having to cancel 'due to pain' or other issues.

SO it is the people most into it in the first place, who have the most time and the most function to be able to turn up continually for appointments without missing them.

And yeah, if this makes you sick as a dog (which even some cinema did with me years ago so assume this would) you aren't going to be going back. But I doubt they are chasing up all of those people.

And if you don't feel much benefit you probably aren't going to be schlepping in for the rest of the sessions either, unless for some reason you really really like it even if it doesn't change your pain.

Someone needs to teach these people about external validity.

But more importantly teaching external validity to those funding these people and any policies that are based on their output

Is it ICBs and boards of GPs being sold to or boards of GPs, selected other HCPs from hospitals and social care/social prescription now. Or are there other people involved. Or are there special grants. That maybe overlap with the above. Or specific hospital departments' pots?
 
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Kitty said:
I reckon it's the travel sickness tablets you have to take before you can even contemplate using a VR headset that knock you out.
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This is going to sound rude

But given the 'we have to understand how hard it is being an 'expert' these days' theme

I can't help but think this reminds me of my school days and the days where the teacher just put a video on for most of the lesson


I can imagine who the company is selling to.
 
I made the mistake of getting a bit excited when I saw the thread title - pain is one of my predominant symptoms and I've been told it is FM. Whatever. Now I could cry with disappointment. Every time I get sucked in by this garbage I remember why I completely stopped reading anything to do with CFS from 2000 - 2015. I wish I had made it 25 years because nothing has changed yet has made an ounce of difference.

"catching meteors, flying kites or even playing volleyball with a dolphin."?? I'm not 10 years old FFS.
 
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I, too, got excited when I read the title---at last--a promise of pain relief.

I guess if one can't move and are stuck to the bed or couch and in severe pain, the VR is a good thing. I know it's been studied and used for PTSD veterans to relive their traumas over and over until the stimuli don't cause symptoms in the vets. That's great.

But I need the breeze on my skin, the sun. A stranger to interact with on the trail or sidewalk.

And getting to the park (on a good day) accomplishes what VR would. I need to be among the trees and critters. As a child, I took refuge in a 40 acre woods, a thrill of discovery or of getting temporarily lost.

Unless the VR googles somehow inject morphine into me, I have to employ my anti-pain methods throughout the day. Capsaicin cream, tizanidine, heat, rest, if needing more, a benzo.

This VR has probably been tested and used to distract hospitalized kids when they are having a painful procedure done.. I'm all for distracting kids from pain.

(I get dizzy-enough already. Can't do a bi-focal glasses prescription.)

Maybe next they could do mouse trials testing VR on pain induced in mice.
I'd love to see them wearing miniature VR googles.

I wonder: are mice stimulated by visuals of cheese or scared of cat visuals and sounds? Or are they more smell stimulated?
 
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