Dr. Stanley Mathew, Cedar Falls IA on VR and Chronic Pain

Virtual reality isn't just for fun. Although you can enjoy video games like never before thanks to VR, it's already proven to have positive effects on healing and mood. Current research suggests that VR can also help with pain management; although, there is much to learn about the many uses of virtual reality.

While the promise of virtual reality may seem like something that's far in the future, at least one hospital has already begun employing the technology to help patients deal with pain. These patients were not able to have visitors during recovery, so Dr. Robert Louis at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach decided to give virtual reality a try after seeing promising results from clinical trials. One study at Cedars-Sinai found that patients reported an astounding 3-point drop on the pain scale when exposed to VR.

Dr. Louis has administered the "treatment" to patients who have undergone brain surgery and face a painful recovery. The process involves sessions between 15 and 30 minutes long. Patients can choose from a variety of calming, natural scenes such as a blue whale swimming through the ocean. One activity even engages patients by growing and blooming as the patient breathe more deeply and become more relaxed. Sessions are limited to prevent nausea that virtual reality can cause.

Thus far, the program seems to be successful. MRI scans show changes in the brain before and after these virtual reality sessions. Dr. Louis sends some patients home with VR headsets to help with pain management after they leave the hospital. He's also looking for other areas where VR may be useful and has set his sight on helping pregnant people.

Other hospitals that wish to employ virtual reality as a pain reduction tactic will soon be able to do so following the guidelines set by a collaborative FDA committee, of which Dr. Louis is a part. Louis also plans to attend a conference later this year about virtual reality's benefits in a healthcare setting. These efforts will help to spread the word about virtual reality's ability to reduce pain in patients and hopefully encourage those in the research, medical, and pharmaceutical industries to consider even more ways that virtual reality can be used to help patients.