A substantial body of evidence suggests that virtual reality (VR) positively impacts pain management. VR serves as a powerful distraction tool, completely immersing patients in a virtual environment and diverting their attention away from pain and medical procedures. International research has shown that VR can effectively reduce acute pain during medical interventions such as Qutenza treatments, injections, epidurals, or burn treatments. Additionally, studies have found that VR usage can lead to a decreased need for pain medication. The efficacy of VR extends to chronic pain management, with numerous studies confirming its effectiveness in this area.

Reference:

1. Virtual Reality interventions for acute and chronic pain management – Ahmadpour et al. (2019).
2. Virtual reality as an analgesic for acute and chronic pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis – Mallari et al. (2019)
3. Virtual Reality and Interactive Simulation for Pain Distraction – Wiederhold et al. (2007)
4. Virtual Reality as a Distraction Intervention to Relieve Pain and Distress During Medical Procedures – Indovina et al. (2018)
5. Virtual reality and pain management: current trends and future directions – Li et al. (2011)
6. Clinical efficacy of virtual reality for acute procedural pain management – Chan et al. (2018)
7. The effectiveness of virtual reality distraction for pain reduction: A systematic review – Malloy & Milling (2010)
8. Virtual Reality as an Adjunctive Non-pharmacologic Analgesic for Acute Burn Pain During Medical Procedures – Hoffman et al. (2011)
9. Virtual reality for management of pain in hospitalized patients: results of a controlled trial – Tashjian et al. (2017)
10. Randomized, crossover study of immersive virtual reality to decrease opioid use during painful wound care procedures in adults – McSherry et al. (2018)
11. Targeting pain catastrophization in patients with fibromyalgia using virtual reality exposure therapy: a proof-of-concept study – Morris et al. (2015)
12. Non Immersive virtual reality mirror visual feedback therapy and its application for the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome: an open-label pilot study – Sato et al. (2010)
13. Virtual Reality as a Distraction Technique in Chronic Pain Patients – Wiederhold et al. (2014)
14. Virtual reality in the treatment of fibromyalgia – Botella et al. (2013)
15. The Impact of Virtual Reality on Chronic Pain – Jones et al. (2016