Virtual Reality Intervention Effective in Easing Pain Among Cancer Patients [Study]

An immersive virtual reality (VR) experience can help cancer patients ease their pain. A clinical trial showed how VR could contribute to the comfort of cancer patients suffering from chronic pain.

Virtual Reality Can Ease Pain Among Cancer Patients

The majority of cancer patients experience pain, and opioids and other painkillers are frequently used in treatment. In a clinical trial, researchers from MedStar Health and Georgetown University School of Medicine discovered that a 10-minute virtual reality session helped hospitalized patients feel less pain. The benefits of the study continued even a day after the sessions.

In this study, 128 people with cancer who experienced moderate to severe pain received a 10-minute two-dimensional guided imagery session on an iPad tablet or an immersive virtual reality intervention featuring serene, pleasant landscapesBeforeto and following the session; the patients were asked to rate their level of discomfort on a scale from 0 to 10.

While both therapies reduced the pain, the effects of the virtual reality sessions were more substantial. The average pain score of those who used the guided imagery decreased by 0.7 points. In the meantime, the VR group's average drop was estimated to be 1.4.

Participants in the VR group reported a continuous reduction in pain severity 24 hours after the intervention; their baseline pain score was 1.7 points lower thas before the virtual reality intervention. The guided imagery group only reported 0.3 points less pain than the baseline.

Individuals who participated in the virtual reality intervention also mentioned their discomfort was less upsetting.

"Results from this trial suggest that immersive virtual reality may be a useful non-medication strategy to improve the cancer pain experience," said Dr. Hunter Groninger, MD, and study author.

Although this research was done on hospitalized patients, future investigations should also assess virtual reality pain treatments in outpatient settings and investigate the potential benefits of various virtual reality content for addressing various forms of cancer-related pain in other patient populations.

Maybe in the future, in addition to standard cancer pain management techniques like painkillers, people experiencing agony from the disease will also be prescribed virtual reality therapy to utilize at home.

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Why Cancer Patients Are in Pain?

Cancer pain can take various forms. It may feel scorching, achy, dull, or acute. It may be mild, moderate, severe, intermittent, or continuous. The type of cancer you have, its stage of progression, its location, and your pain threshold all affect how much pain you experience.

The majority of cancer patients experience tolerable pain, and managing your pain is crucial to your course of treatment. The cancer itself may be the source of pain.

Pain may result if adjacent tissue is damaged or develops into a malignancy. As it grows, a tumor may press against bones, organs, or nerves. The tumor can also release chemicals that might cause pain.

In these cases, the cancer treatment may lessen the pain. On the other hand, cancer therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery can also cause pain.

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