Virtual reality (VR) is now being used to relieve chronic back pain in veterans, pointing to new potential uses for virtual reality in senior living. A recent article in Fast Company noted that in the near future at 18 Veterans Affairs facilities, patients will have access to RelieVRx, a type of immersive therapy.

How It Works

After a healthcare provider prescribes RelieVRx, produced by AppliedVR, the patient receives a VR device with pre-loaded content. The curriculum focuses on topics like education on how the body perceives pain, dynamic breathing, pain distraction, shaping the nervous system toward relief, and relaxation and mindful escapes. After following the eight-week program, the patient returns the device.

Immersive therapy is considered an alternative to traditional chronic pain treatments such as medicine and surgery, said the article. It also can avoid treatment with opioids and the risks of possible opioid addiction.

The article shared the perspective of AppliedVR CEO Matthew Stoudt that “immersive VR widens the scope of the treatment to include the mental and emotional aspects of pain.” The article also quoted Stoudt in saying that the Department of Veterans Affairs has already been using immersive medicine to treat post-traumatic stress disorder at 120 sites with over a thousand practitioners.

Research has found the treatments effective. The article referenced studies of community-based adults, which found that improvements in back pain and associated challenges with activity, stress, and sleep continued six months after treatment with a program similar to RelieVRx.

For more details, read the full article.