It is not easy to live with pain. It affects the body and the mind. Thus, people undergo various treatments or medications, therapy, or exercises. But now, there is a new way to control pain-Virtual Reality (VR).
Today, VR is not limited to team outing places in bangalore. Instead, hospitals are nowadays using it for patients, for pain management. Let us understand how this helps ease the discomfort of people:
Table of Contents
How Virtual Reality Aids in Management of Pain
1. Distracts the Brain
Pain distracts you so much that you can’t think about anything else. VR helps by distracting your brain and moving you to another place.
You may imagine swimming with dolphins or walking through a peaceful garden. Such distractions will not let the brain think of pain signals. To say it in a few words, VR gives your brain something different to think about.
2. Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Pain may also lead to anxiety. Further, anxiety and stress can increase the pain. Thus, most VR experiences have scenes of beaches, forests, or still lakes.
Such environments can soothe the mind. Patients tend to feel more relaxed, thus reducing pain. For example, a patient undergoing a painful medical procedure may be less anxious with VR.
3. Increases Tolerance for Pain
Some medical treatments are often painful. This ranges from something as simple as physical therapy or wound care. VR helps make such painful treatments somewhat bearable.
By keeping patients distracted, it increases the amount of time a patient can withstand pain. Therefore, they can recover easily over time. In fact, patients typically report experiencing less discomfort while using VR during treatments.
4. Changes How the Brain Processes Pain
It has been proven that VR can change the processing of pain in the brain. When a person is using a VR headgear, the brain usually gives hardly much or any importance to pain.
Gradually, it trains the brain to experience less pain even when it is not using VR. Thus, VR can teach the brain to ignore pain over time.
Types of VR Experience Used for Pain Relief
1. Relaxation and Meditation
Many VR programs focus on relaxation. Some teach patients to breathe or meditate. The patients may listen to relaxing music or view soft waves in a beach. The whole thing appears to relax both the mind and the body. Moreover, relaxation decreases heart rate, and reduces muscle tension. Thus, it enhances pain relief.
2. Virtual Games and Activities
There are also some interesting games provided in some VR programs. Thus, patients can play interactive games that require focus and movement. These games keep the brain busy and distracted. For children, VR games can make a scary visit to the hospital fun. Hence, interactive VR games can make pain management easier than ever.
3. Stunning Natural Scenes
Nature can heal the mind. Thus, most VR programs have virtual nature walks. Patients can walk through mountains, forests, or rivers. Such scenes bring people closer to nature, although they may be lying on a hospital bed. Being “in nature” via VR helps patients relax and become peaceful.
4. Therapeutic Exercises
VR offers therapeutic exercises to patients recovering from injuries. A patient can move as per the instructions of the VR program in a gentle manner. It allows patients to gradually improve their mobility without straining them. The entertainment provided by VR makes it easy for the patients to undergo their treatment. Therapeutic VR exercises make recovery not very painful.
Some Examples of Helping Patients Recover Using VR
1. Injured with Burns
Burns are very painful. Moreover, changing dressing or cleaning of wounds is a very painful procedure. Thus, VR has been used to reduce the pain of patients suffering from burns.
SnowWorld is the most widely used VR game. It provides patients with a scenery of snow. The images of cold, icy snow confuse the brain into thinking that pain is less. Patients say that they experience up to 50% less pain while undergoing treatment with VR.
2. Cancer Patients
Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy are uncomfortable and cause anxiety. Thus, some hospitals now offer VR to cancer patients. It calms them down during long treatments.
Patients can watch peaceful scenes or play calming games. This reduces their stress and helps them feel better. VR makes cancer treatment less stressful and more manageable.
3. Children in Hospitals
Hospitals are usually the scariest for children. But VR makes it fun for them. For instance, a child can wear a VR headset and walk around a virtual playground while receiving treatment.
This keeps the child calm and reduces his or her fear. It helps distract them while procedures like shots or blood tests are taken. This is because VR turns the frightening experience into an adventure for the children.
Advantages of Implementing VR for Pain Management
- No Side Effects: Unlike anything else, VR does not have any physical side effects.
- Lessens Use of Pain Relief Medications: VR reduces the need for painkillers in a patient. Such patients have low chances of getting addicted to the pain-relieving medication.
- Enhances Mental Health: VR offers not only solutions to patients with pain but improves their mood as well. Therefore, patients will feel lighter and less stressful.
- User-Friendly and Accessible: Most of the VR systems are user-friendly. The patient just puts the headset on their head, and they start experiencing it immediately.
Conclusion
Virtual Reality is revolutionizing approaches to pain management. A completely new and exciting approach stands in treating patients with pain. It calms the brain and has a soothing effect by distracting the brain from whatever is causing pain. Thus, people feel less pain.
With more studies, VR might soon become the norm for pain management. For now, it gives comfort and hope to patients suffering from pain. Remember: Pain is tough, but new technology like VR will make life a little easier.
