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People living with chronic pain are being offered a pioneering new treatment involving virtual reality headsets, in what is being described as a UK first. Around 50 patients with long-term conditions have been taking part in a trial of immersive therapy that places them in virtual environments – designed to divert their attention away from pain.
Through the headsets, users are transported into alternate worlds where they engage in interactive activities such as catching meteors, flying kites or even playing volleyball with a dolphin.
The method has shown such promising results that several participants have reportedly reduced their reliance on painkillers like codeine, according to What’s The Jam. One patient, Emma Stevens, spoke about how the VR therapy has helped her cope with a serious pain condition.
She explained how the VR sessions provided a welcome distraction: “When I was working with the headset and doing my therapy I wasn’t thinking about the pain. It just took me somewhere else where I could do things without discomfort. It is just so helpful.”
Although the software has been utilised internationally since 2017, physiotherapist, Phillipa Newton-Cross, who leads the Pain Rehabilitation Team at Torbay Hospital in Torquay, Devon, revealed they are pioneering its use in the UK. She said: “We are the only NHS Trust in the country who are using CUREO VR therapy software to offer patients an alternative solution to chronic pain rehabilitation. For the past two years we have been exploring how we can improve the lives of patients using methods that avoid medication and promote movement and wellbeing by using VR immersive therapy.
“We have run one-to-one VR clinics with patients and have found some incredible results and benefits to health, including alternatives to medicated pain relief, and how new technology can help patients suffering from chronic pain, long-term health conditions, anxiety and low mood in new and innovative ways.
“This is bespoke software and we feel very fortunate to be the only NHS Setting in the UK that is using this particular therapy software to help people living with chronic pain. Working with pain is like trying to work with a central nervous system that is on high alert and hot-wired and alarmed all the time. It’s really difficult to move when you are like that.”
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Chairman Chris Balch described the healthcare as “cutting-edge” and noted its potential to guide medical professionals in exploring how individuals can confront pain and anxiety without medication.
He expressed: “I am so proud of the Pain Rehabilitation Team for their energy and passion in driving this technology forward for the good of our patients.”
