How Does Virtual Reality for Pain Management Work?

Written by Timothy Aungst, PharmD | Reviewed by Katie E. Golden, MD Published on December 23, 2021

Key takeaways:

• There are many treatment options to manage pain, including medications. But some people want to avoid or limit using medications due to their risks and side effects.
• For over two decades, researchers have studied virtual reality (VR) as a tool to help lower pain awareness.
• Researchers have studied VR in clinics, hospitals, and in homes to help address acute and chronic pain.

Anna Frank/E+ via Getty Images

At one time or another, everyone has felt the sensation of pain. Odds are that you’ve experienced pain from different things. But when you think about pain and its treatment, what comes to mind? Is it rest and relaxation? Or do you look through the medicine cabinet and reach for a pain reliever?

With modern technology, there may be another option for treating pain. There have been many advances in the use of devices and technology to help manage pain without medications. Recently, we’ve seen some FDA-cleared devices that treat pain using virtual reality (VR). You may be thinking, “VR? Isn’t that just for video games?” And the answer is — no.

Here, we’ll discuss how VR for pain management works and what types of pain it can treat.

How does virtual reality help people with pain?

The idea of using VR in healthcare isn’t new. There have been talks about using VR for surgical procedures, condition monitoring, and treatment of medical conditions since at least the mid-1990s.

One healthcare area of interest with VR has been — and continues to be — pain management. Pain medications work well and can help a lot. But with the risks and side effects of some medications, like opioids, some people are looking for other options. VR could fit that role.

But how does VR work for pain? Well, the answer depends on the VR system. Some VR platforms that help with pain provide you with a calm environment or a game to play. These distraction methods aim to take your mind off the pain. By distracting you, VR can help lower the amount of pain your brain perceives.

Other VR systems provide you with breathing practices, relaxation techniques, or a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). These methods can help teach you long-term pain relief strategies. It’s possible that after using this type of VR platform for some time, you may no longer need it. Instead, you can use the tools you’ve learned from the VR system on your own.

Does virtual reality work for both acute and long-term pain?

Clinical research suggests VR may be helpful for both acute (temporary) and chronic (long-term) pain problems. But most research has focused on acute pain. While the available evidence shows benefits with VR for chronic pain, more research is needed to confirm this.

What have studies found?

The evidence for VR pain management has been mainly positive, though there have been some mixed results. Generally, studies suggest VR may help with acute and chronic pain. But some studies haven’t shown any benefit. However, most healthcare providers and their patients have reported positive experiences when using VR for medical reasons.

Developers continue to work on improving VR technology. As a result, VR treatments will likely improve. As this happens, healthcare providers will learn how to use it better and identify the situations where VR works best.

In what settings is virtual reality used for pain?

Researchers have studied VR for pain management in many different settings. These include a mix of acute and chronic pain issues.

Some of these settings and situations include:

• Using VR in children receiving vaccinations at their healthcare provider’s office to help distract them from the pain
• Using VR games in children undergoing treatment for significant burns at an outpatient burn clinic
• Using VR to help reduce fear, pain, and anxiety for children receiving needle-based medical procedures (e.g., intravenous infusions, lumbar punctures) — multiple settings were studied, including in hospitals and providers’ offices
• Using VR to treat adults with chronic low back pain in their homes
• Using VR for children in hospitals and infusion centers to lower anxiety and pain during the placement of an intravenous catheter
• Using VR for adults who were hospitalized and experiencing mild, moderate, or severe pain

This isn’t an all-inclusive list. But as you can see, researchers have studied VR in a number of different settings and groups of people.

Can virtual reality replace medications for pain management?

In some situations, VR could be used instead of pain medications. This varies from person to person and situation to situation. But in the future, a healthcare provider might offer you the choice of using VR treatment, medications, or a combination of both.

A difference in side effects could be a potential benefit of VR over medications. Pain medications are known to cause side effects like sleepiness, stomach upset, and constipation. And some medications can be habit-forming.

VR is linked to different types of side effects. People have reported issues like:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Motion sickness
• Headache
• Tiredness
• Discomfort while using head-mounted VR systems

These side effects may limit some people from using VR for pain management.

What other therapies may be used with virtual reality for pain?

VR can be combined with other traditional treatments for pain, such as medications and physical therapy. It’ll be up to you and your healthcare provider to decide which treatment options are right for you. It’s important to have a close relationship with your healthcare provider, so they can better help you meet your pain management goals.

Is virtual reality therapy for pain expensive?

It could be. One of the biggest issues with using VR for pain management is that it can require some extra work. Whereas providers can easily send medications for a pharmacy to fill, you may need to go to a clinic to access the VR equipment. If it’s an at-home VR system, you might have to buy the hardware, set it up, and then regularly maintain it. All of these steps add to VR’s cost.

One of the biggest cost-related problems is that many insurance plans don’t cover VR, or they make it difficult for healthcare providers to bill for it. This means the costs of VR vary greatly. But VR for pain has helped to lower overall costs of a hospital stay in some cases.

With the growing evidence that VR is helpful and the recent FDA clearance of an at-home VR option, hopefully VR costs will come down.

The bottom line

Virtual reality for pain management is receiving attention to help relieve pain in many clinical settings. This may possibly help some people avoid or limit the need for medications. VR also offers possible options for people who have issues with medication side effects. It’s likely that researchers will continue to study VR as a tool for pain management in the coming years.