Virtual Reality Smashing Through Chronic Pain

Leading researcher, Dr Daniel Harvie believes that by combining brain science with virtual reality, the nervous system can be convinced that the body is healed and no longer experiencing pain. Dr Harvie, the 2023 South Australian Young Tall Poppy, says;

“Pain is usually triggered by an injury, but in some people, it hangs around even after the body is healed. Now, instead of just treating the site of pain in your body, we know that we may also need to re-train the nervous system.”

Dubbed ‘Superhero Therapy’, chronic pain patients can ‘swap’ their body for a superhero, such as The Incredible Hulk, whilst wearing a VR headset. The participants, who normally feel weak and debilitated by their pain are experiencing a drop in symptoms when they enter the digital world and experience it in a seemingly strong and agile body.

“The visual synchronisation of virtual and real bodies triggers an update of the users’ brain-held representations: from those aligned with injury (which are pain promoting) to those consistent with a resilient body (which are pain suppressing). Remarkably, people feel immediately stronger, agile, and more resilient.”, says Dr Harvie.

Research is ongoing, but initial results show that when people enter the VR world, their mind is immediately taken off their symptoms and their pain tends to drop.

“We are at a historical juncture in the way pain is managed,” Dr Harvie says.

“Virtual reality is an amazing, brain-targeting, perception-altering tool that can be used to train the nervous system and address some of the challenges for people with chronic pain.

I really think it won’t be too long before we see VR in physio and occupational therapy clinics as a core part of every management of people with pain.”