Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients
Primary chronic pain is a major contributor to disability worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 20–33% of the world’s population. The high socio-economic impact of musculoskeletal pain justifies seeking an appropriate therapeutic strategy. Immersive virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a f...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/4/617 |
| _version_ | 1797606136390615040 |
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| author | Javier Guerra-Armas Mar Flores-Cortes Consolacion Pineda-Galan Alejandro Luque-Suarez Roy La Touche |
| author_facet | Javier Guerra-Armas Mar Flores-Cortes Consolacion Pineda-Galan Alejandro Luque-Suarez Roy La Touche |
| author_sort | Javier Guerra-Armas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Primary chronic pain is a major contributor to disability worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 20–33% of the world’s population. The high socio-economic impact of musculoskeletal pain justifies seeking an appropriate therapeutic strategy. Immersive virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a first-line intervention for chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, the growing literature has not been accompanied by substantial progress in understanding how VR exerts its impact on the pain experience and what neurophysiological mechanisms might be involved in the clinical effectiveness of virtual reality interventions in chronic pain patients. The aim of this review is: (i) to establish the state of the art on the effects of VR on patients with chronic pain; (ii) to identify neuroplastic changes associated with chronic pain that may be targeted by VR intervention; and (iii) to propose a hypothesis on how immersive virtual reality could modify motor behavioral decision-making through an interactive experience in patients with chronic pain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:11:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6317bf6049e442db8069a9833bb631cd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:11:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-6317bf6049e442db8069a9833bb631cd2023-11-17T18:32:43ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252023-04-0113461710.3390/brainsci13040617Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain PatientsJavier Guerra-Armas0Mar Flores-Cortes1Consolacion Pineda-Galan2Alejandro Luque-Suarez3Roy La Touche4Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35016 Las Palmas, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Malaga, 29071 Malaga, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Malaga, 29071 Malaga, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Malaga, 29071 Malaga, SpainDepartamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28023 Madrid, SpainPrimary chronic pain is a major contributor to disability worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 20–33% of the world’s population. The high socio-economic impact of musculoskeletal pain justifies seeking an appropriate therapeutic strategy. Immersive virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a first-line intervention for chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, the growing literature has not been accompanied by substantial progress in understanding how VR exerts its impact on the pain experience and what neurophysiological mechanisms might be involved in the clinical effectiveness of virtual reality interventions in chronic pain patients. The aim of this review is: (i) to establish the state of the art on the effects of VR on patients with chronic pain; (ii) to identify neuroplastic changes associated with chronic pain that may be targeted by VR intervention; and (iii) to propose a hypothesis on how immersive virtual reality could modify motor behavioral decision-making through an interactive experience in patients with chronic pain.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/4/617virtual realitybody embodimentmotor behaviorchronic paindecision-making |
| spellingShingle | Javier Guerra-Armas Mar Flores-Cortes Consolacion Pineda-Galan Alejandro Luque-Suarez Roy La Touche Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients Brain Sciences virtual reality body embodiment motor behavior chronic pain decision-making |
| title | Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients |
| title_full | Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients |
| title_fullStr | Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients |
| title_short | Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients |
| title_sort | role of immersive virtual reality in motor behaviour decision making in chronic pain patients |
| topic | virtual reality body embodiment motor behavior chronic pain decision-making |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/4/617 |
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