Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Find out if VR can treat chronic pain.

Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows the user to explore all-new worlds with stunning visuals and lifelike effects without leaving their home. In recent years, healthcare has explored the benefits of the technology, but some people remain skeptical of its place in the industry.

Learn how VR is transforming healthcare by busting these common myths about the technology.

Myth 1: VR is only for video games — the technology isn’t for healthcare.

VR is one of the fastest growing technologies in healthcare, and researchers are studying the technology’s potential to enhance several areas of the industry.

One area where VR is useful is helping surgeons train for complicated procedures. Surgeons can put on a VR headset and step into the surgical suite to practice the procedure repeatedly without fear of hurting an actual human. A 2019 Harvard Business Review study found that surgeons using VR training improved their performance by 230 percent versus traditional training methods.

Researchers have also studied VR as a treatment option for patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) and spatial deficits following a stroke. Using VR to help rehabilitate cognitive function in patients has shown potential to bolster the effects of traditional therapies.

Patients who have experienced trauma or suffer from anxiety can also use VR as a treatment option. By placing the patient in everyday situations where they may experience post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety, the patient can confront the situation in a safe environment.

Lastly, imagine working with colleagues virtually — not over a webcam, but in a VR environment. Healthcare providers and professionals can step into a virtual space to discuss case studies, collaborate on projects, or even attend conferences.

Myth 2: You can’t experience a true-to-life feeling in VR.

When you put on the VR headset, you enter an alternate world. Your brain convinces you that you are physically in that space, so what happens when you are training as a medical student or practicing complicated procedures before a surgery? You reach for haptic feedback devices.

Haptic feedback devices are physical apparatuses that you can wear or hold during a VR session. In recent years, several companies have developed haptic feedback gloves or tool replicas that you can touch and feel, and respond to your movements in the VR headset, to engage you in your virtual environment. “I call them bridge platforms because they bridge the human senses and the VR for the digital world,” says Rafael Grossmann, MD, FACS, general and trauma surgeon at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Haptic gloves are built with tactile actuators, motion-tracking sensors, and vibrotactile feedback components to help provide a realistic feel. These mechanical components and what your brain is seeing combine to trick you into thinking you’re holding an actual medical instrument. “The brain is tricked very quickly to feel that you’re seeing just your hands and you’re feeling objects in VR,” Dr. Grossmann says.

Myth 3: You can’t use VR to treat pain.

One area where VR has shown potential as a viable treatment option is for patients suffering from chronic pain. Several companies have explored the use of VR to treat patients with chronic pain, and one example is AppliedVR. “We are initially focused on chronic low-back pain (CLBP) and have developed RelieVRx’s eight-week program that enables patients to self-administer treatment from the comfort and convenience of their own home,” says Josh Sackman, co-founder and president of AppliedVR.

The RelieVRx platform is a VR-based treatment option for CLBP, which blends together elements of cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, interoception, diaphragmatic breathing, and pain education. According to a 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, approximately 51.6 million Americans live with chronic pain.

Another area where VR technology can be applied is with various therapies. Floreo developed a VR system that is clinically designed to help an individual build a new skill. “These skills range from social skills (e.g., conversational speaking) to safety skills (e.g., crossing a street) to areas of executive function (e.g., impulse control) to emotional regulation (e.g., calming). From the Coach application, a coach can see what the learner is seeing in VR, provide real-time advice, and record key treatment data,” says Vijay Ravindran, CEO of Floreo.