Virtual reality experiences can help ease severe pain

With virtual reality (VR), patients reported an average decline in pain scores of 1.72 points, compared with an average decrease of 0.46 points for the control group. — Reuters

Playing virtual reality games or relaxing in a virtual nature setting might help ease chronic pain, particularly when symptoms are severe, a new experiment suggests.

The 120 hospitalised patients in the study had rated their pain as at least a 3 out of 10 over the previous 24 hours. Half of the patients were chosen at random to use virtual reality headsets three times a day over the next 48 hours; the other half served as a control group and were told to watch health and wellness programming on the television in their rooms that included guided relaxations, poetry readings and health topic discussions.