Study explores virtual reality for managing chronic low back pain at home

Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, CTSI site-director at Cedars-Sinai, led a study examining whether at-home virtual reality (VR) programs could help people manage chronic low back pain without medication. In the randomized study, published in NPJ Digital Medicine, 385 participants used one of three programs: a skills-based VR program featuring relaxation, mindfulness and biofeedback exercises; immersive 360-degree VR videos designed to provide distraction from pain; or 2D “sham” videos viewed through a VR headset. Participants used the programs at home and were followed for 90 days.

Participants in all three groups experienced modest improvements in how much pain interfered with their daily lives, but neither of the immersive VR programs outperformed the sham program on the study’s main outcome. Researchers did identify promising findings for further study: participants with higher anxiety appeared to benefit more from the skills-based program. Participants also showed strong engagement with the programs, supporting the feasibility of studying VR-based approaches to chronic pain management at home.

The study was supported, in part,  by the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The research team utilized the he Cedars-Sinai Honest Enterprise Research Broker (HERB) Committee for patient recruitment, which is supported by the CTSI. 

Photo source: Unsplash.com

Photo caption: Woman braces back.