Benefits of Virtual Reality in People with Chronic Pain

Abstract

Virtual reality is a technological strategy that introduces the person into a fictional and interactive world, causing the subjects to evade reality and it is used in the clinical setting in order to reduce pain. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the benefits of virtual reality in people with chronic pain. A search was carried out in the Pubmed, CINAHL and Web of Science databases, using the following terms: "Virtual reality" AND "Chronic pain". Those articles that reported on randomized controlled trials published since 2010 were chosen, discarding duplicate articles and those that did not meet the eligibility criteria. Of the 231 articles identified in the search, 9 articles were finally included, with a total of 368 people who participated in the studies. All articles were aimed at testing the effects of virtual reality on chronic conditions. We conclude that virtual reality helps to control pain, although more studies are needed to provide evidence, especially regarding the long-term effects of this therapy in chronic pain.