US FDA Has Approved Use Of Virtual Reality For Treating Chronic Pain
The program addresses pain with the help of relaxation and distraction, while improving the awareness of the internal signals, as highlighted by FDA in a statement.
VR can now be used for treating chronic back pain as the Food and Drug Administration has authorised the use of a VR therapy system dubbed EaseVRx.
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Reported first by The Verge, EaseVRx makes use of a VR headset as well as a device that boosts the sound of a user¡¯s breath to help the patient with breathing exercises. It¡¯s based on the principles of cognitive behaviour therapy that aims to help understand an individual¡¯s numerous thought patterns and emotions.
The program addresses pain with the help of relaxation and distraction, while improving the awareness of the internal signals, as highlighted by FDA in a statement.
The authorisation came after reviewing data from an eight-week study in 179 individuals with lower back pain that lasted six months or longer. Half were asked to use the EaseVRx program while the other half participated in 2D VR programs that didn¡¯t make use of cognitive behavioural therapy methods.
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Around two-thirds of participants using EaseVRx saw over 30 percent reduction in pain, whereas only 41 percent of the control group had a similar drop in pain.
The reduced pain actually lasted for up to three months after the study for the EaseVRx group, however, the control group wasn¡¯t so lucky.
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The VR system could work as an alternative therapy method for drugs for back pain that contain opioids, according to Christopher Loftus, acting director of the Office of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices at the FDA.
EaseVRx was developed by AppliedVR -- a company that is also testing its platform as a treatment for fibromyalgia pain, burn pains or pain during childbirth.
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