Article
Rehabilitation
Marina Nusser, Sebastian Knapp, Michael Kramer, Gert Krischak
Summary: The results of this study suggest that neck-specific sensorimotor training using virtual reality may have better effects on improving neck pain and range of motion compared to general sensorimotor training or non-specific training. In particular, the improvement in cervical extension was more significant with virtual reality-based training.
JOURNAL OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Qifan Guo, LIMing Zhang, Chenfan Gui, Guanghui Chen, Yi Chen, Huixin Tan, Wei Su, Ruishi Zhang, Qiang Gao
Summary: By conducting a meta-analysis of 8 studies, this study found moderate evidence supporting the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in reducing neck pain intensity. VR therapy can significantly alleviate pain intensity, particularly in patients with chronic neck pain and those receiving multimodal intervention. However, the long-term effects of VR therapy are still unclear due to limited quantity and high heterogeneity of the studies.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Orthopedics
Gunnel Peterson, Siw Carlfjord, Emma Nilsing Strid, Sofia Ask, Margaretha Jonsson, Anneli Peolsson
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the implementation strategy and clinical effectiveness of neck-specific exercises (NSE) in primary health care. The diffusion of the exercises to other patients will also be evaluated. The results may guide physiotherapists and health care providers in implementing effective exercise programs.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Matteo Cioeta, Sanaz Pournajaf, Michela Goffredo, Giuseppe Giovannico, Marco Franceschini
Summary: This case report describes a 57-year-old woman who suffered from neck pain for 15 months. After poor compliance with traditional physiotherapy treatments, home exercise training through virtual reality was proposed to improve patient adherence to the treatment plan. The personalized treatment allowed the patient to quickly resolve her problem and return to a peaceful life with her family.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Thiru Thillai Nadarasar Bahavan, Suman Navaratnarajah, Dulindu Owinda, Inoj Akalanka, Roshan Peiris, Anjula De Silva
Summary: Presence is a mental state in which users react to events in virtual reality (VR) as if they were real. Place illusion (PI) and plausibility illusion (PSI) are components of Presence and depend on the immersion and coherence of the VR system and experience. Traditional questionnaire-based methods of measuring Presence have limitations, so we propose a method for augmented measurement of Presence, PI, and PSI using biosignals. Through an experiment with 20 participants, we found that an increase in PI or PSI led to an increase in Presence, as confirmed by questionnaire responses. EEG results showed that Envelope Amplitude Correlation features and Spectral Coherence can distinguish between Presence, PI, and PSI, while entropy features increased for high PSI.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Isabel Neumann, Ivo Kaethner, Daniel Gromer, Paul Pauli
Summary: Virtual verbal support in virtual reality can positively influence physiological pain responses, but has no effect on pain ratings. The perceived agency of virtual characters does not significantly affect pain responses.
COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Dmitriy Viderman, Karina Tapinova, Mukhit Dossov, Serik Seitenov, Yerkin G. Abdildin
Summary: This umbrella review evaluates the analgesic effects of virtual reality and finds that it benefits various pain conditions, including chronic and acute pain. Virtual reality can be used as an alternative therapy for pain management in children and adults.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Noriaki Kanayama, Masayuki Hara, Kenta Kimura
Summary: Virtual reality allows for fast and controllable experimental body image settings, with EEG oscillatory activities providing insights into human multisensory integration processes. However, EEG data recorded in VR environments may be vulnerable to noise, posing challenges for measurement and analysis. The study highlights differences in brain activities between real and VR settings, emphasizing the need to consider these differences in investigating bodily self-perception using VR.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Deirdre E. Logan, Laura E. Simons, Thomas J. Caruso, Jeffrey Gold, Walter Greenleaf, Anya Griffin, Christopher D. King, Maria Menendez, Vanessa A. Olbrecht, Samuel Rodriguez, Megan Silvia, Jennifer N. Stinson, Ellen Wang, Sara E. Williams, Luke Wilson
Summary: The INOVATE-Pain consortium aims to advance the field of VR for pediatric chronic pain management by providing guidance for best practices in design, evaluation, and dissemination of VR-based interventions. Through an interdisciplinary meeting, the consortium identified key directions for research-driven innovation and established consensus on best methodological practices for future efforts in this area. Key ingredients for success include productive partnerships, standardized evaluation measures, and access to latest tools and resources.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Taima Alrimy, Wadee Alhalabi, Areej A. Malibari, Fatma Salih Alzahrani, Sharifah Alrajhi, Mohammed Alhalabi, Hunter G. Hoffman
Summary: This study investigates the effectiveness of desktop VR in reducing just noticeable pressure pain in children aged 2-10. The results show that VR significantly reduces pain sensitivity in children, especially in the age group of 2-5.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Gunnel Peterson, Anneli Peolsson
Summary: This study examined the effect of neck-specific exercises delivered via the internet (NSEIT) compared to exercises supervised by a physiotherapist (NSE) in chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WADs). The results showed that NSEIT was noninferior to NSE and required less physiotherapist time.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ahmed Alalawi, Valter Devecchi, Alessio Gallina, Alejandro Luque-Suarez, Deborah Falla
Summary: The aim of this study was to examine the differences in neuromuscular and psychological function in individuals with recurrent or chronic neck pain compared to healthy controls. The results showed that the participants with neck pain had higher neck disability, greater kinesiophobia, lower quality of life, slower and irregular neck movements, and less neck strength compared to the controls. In addition, the analysis revealed that a higher number of previous pain episodes and lower neck flexion strength were predictors of higher neck disability in the future.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Anesthesiology
Gongkai Ye, Ryan G. L. Koh, Kishore Jaiswal, Harghun Soomal, Dinesh Kumbhare
Summary: This systematic review evaluated the use of virtual reality (VR) in the treatment of chronic nonspecific neck pain (CNNP). The study found that VR interventions showed significant improvement in patients with CNNP, but there was a lack of consistency in intervention design, objective outcome measures, follow-up reporting, and large sample sizes. Future research should focus on designing VR interventions for specific, individualized movement goals and combining quantifiable outcomes with existing self-report measures.
CLINICAL JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Vanessa A. Olbrecht, Keith T. O'Conor, Sara E. Williams, Chloe O. Boehmer, Gilbert W. Marchant, Susan M. Glynn, Kristie J. Geisler, Lili Ding, Gang Yang, Christopher D. King
Summary: The study aimed to assess the impact of a single guided relaxation-based virtual reality (VR-GR) session on postoperative pain and anxiety reduction in children. The results showed that this method can temporarily reduce pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and anxiety, with better effects in patients with higher anxiety sensitivity scores.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Brad Ridout, Joshua Kelson, Andrew Campbell, Kate Steinbeck
Summary: This review systematically identified evidence on the use of virtual reality interventions for adolescents in hospital settings. Virtual reality was found to be a safe and effective way to reduce pain and anxiety in adolescents in hospitals, especially when the software is highly immersive and specifically designed for therapeutic purposes. Larger and more diverse studies are needed to further explore the potential of virtual reality in hospital settings.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Rehabilitation
Emma L. Karran, Caroline E. Fryer, James W. Middleton, G. Lorimer Moseley
Summary: This study aimed to explore the problem of persistent pain in Australian community-dwelling adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). The results showed that the impact of persistent pain on individuals' lives varied, with some experiencing more disability than physical impairments and feeling isolated and despair. It was also found that community-based pain care mainly focused on medication, and access to expert, comprehensive, and individualized care was frequently reported as inadequate.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Amelia K. Mardon, Hayley B. Leake, Cathy Hayles, Michael L. Henry, Patricia B. Neumann, G. Lorimer Moseley, K. Jane Chalmers
Summary: Self-management is critical for the care of endometriosis, but the efficacy of such strategies remains uncertain. Existing studies have poor quality, and most self-management strategies are not more effective than placebo or hormonal therapies in reducing symptoms.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Rutger M. J. de Zoete, Jane Nikles, Jeff S. Coombes, Patrick Onghena, Michele Sterling
Summary: This study compared the effectiveness of different types of exercise for chronic whiplash associated disorder (WAD) and found that aerobic exercise may be more effective for this condition.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Scott F. Farrell, Pik-Fang Kho, Mischa Lundberg, Adrian I. Campos, Miguel E. Renteria, Rutger M. J. de Zoete, Michele Sterling, Trung Thanh Ngo, Gabriel Cuellar-Partida
Summary: Through genome-wide association studies, researchers identified genetic correlations and causal genetic variants associated with chronic pain types, as well as their associations with various biopsychosocial traits. These findings lay the groundwork for further studies in developing diagnostics and therapies for chronic pain.
Article
Orthopedics
Andrew A. Post, Ebonie K. Rio, Kathleen A. Sluka, G. Lorimer Moseley, Emine O. Bayman, Mederic M. Hall, Cesar de Cesar Netto, Jason M. Wilken, Jessica Danielson, Ruth L. Chimenti
Summary: The study compared the efficacy of physical therapy delivered via telehealth or hybrid format with in-person format for individuals with chronic Achilles tendinopathy (AT). The results showed that there was no significant difference in pain outcomes between the telehealth/hybrid groups and the in-person group. This suggests that telehealth-based physical therapy can improve accessibility to AT rehabilitation and prioritize patient preferences for treatment format.
Article
Oncology
An De Groef, Margaux Evenepoel, Sophie Van Dijck, Lore Dams, Vincent Haenen, Louise Wiles, Mark Catley, Anna Vogelzang, Ian Olver, Peter Hibbert, Bart Morlion, G. Lorimer Moseley, Lauren C. C. Heathcote, Mira Meeus
Summary: In this study, a personalized eHealth intervention was developed for female survivors of breast cancer to manage persistent pain. The acceptability, comprehensibility, and satisfaction of the intervention were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. The efficacy of the intervention was assessed using mixed effects models, which showed significant improvement in pain-related functioning, physical functioning, and quality of life.
SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Marieke Dewitte, Ann Meulders
Summary: This paper provides an overview of pain-related fear, integrates theories on learning and sexual arousal responding, and explains how compromised learning may contribute to the development and persistence of genital pain. In order to improve theories of genital pain and enhance treatments, it is important to consider a biopsychosocial framework and explore potential moderators that shape individual trajectories.
JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Bhavya Adalja, Tammy Aplin, Michele Sterling, Venerina Johnston
Summary: This study aimed to understand the current utilization of the clinical framework for managing compensable musculoskeletal injuries by interviewing insurer case managers and clinical panel members. The findings revealed suboptimal use of the framework, leading to issues such as lack of evidence-based treatment. Identified barriers to optimal use included inadequate training of healthcare professionals. The study suggested that training from peak associations, insurers, and regulating bodies could improve the utilization of the framework and ultimately result in better health and work outcomes.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Scott F. F. Farrell, Michele Sterling, David M. M. Klyne, Sanam Mustafa, Adrian I. Campos, Pik-Fang Kho, Mischa Lundberg, Miguel E. E. Renteria, Trung Thanh Ngo, Gabriel Cuellar-Partida
Summary: This study found a genetic correlation between blood C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and chronic back, neck/shoulder, and widespread pain, suggesting a potential causal effect of higher CRP levels on these pain conditions. Further studies are needed to identify novel therapeutic targets and strategies.
EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emma L. Karran, Aidan G. Cashin, Trevor Barker, Mark A. Boyd, Alessandro Chiarotto, Omar Dewidar, Jennifer Petkovic, Saurab Sharma, Peter Tugwell, G. Lorimer Moseley
Summary: The study reviewed the content of available social needs screening tools designed for primary care settings. The findings showed that food insecurity and the physical environment were the most commonly included categories in the screening tools (92-94%), followed by economic stability and social and community context (81%). 75% of the tools evaluated five or more social needs categories. Validation processes and outcomes varied among the studies.
Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Caitlin A. Howlett, Stephanie Miles, Carolyn Berryman, Andrea Phillipou, G. Lorimer Moseley
Summary: Cognitive flexibility is an important treatment target for psychological disorders, but the assessment of cognitive flexibility has been conflated and not empirically supported. This review explores how the conflation of self-report and neurocognitive assessments emerged from literature on eating disorders. It discusses the impact of this conflation and provides recommendations for assessing cognitive flexibility in research and clinical settings.
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Eloise Yates, Lisa Buckley, Michele Sterling, Tegan Cruwys, Claire E. Ashton-James, Renee Rankin, Rachel A. Elphinston
Summary: This study aimed to co-design accessible interventions to increase pain self-efficacy, social connection, pain-related outcomes, and quality of life. The study explored patients' interest and preferences for digital peer-delivered interventions for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) as well as implementation barriers and enablers.
JMIR FORMATIVE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Daniel Simon Harvie
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate whether participants with chronic pain recall greater susceptibility to motion sickness before chronic pain onset. Data from 530 patients and 165 pain-free controls were collected and analyzed. The results suggest that in some cases, susceptibility to motion sickness appears to pre-date persistent pain, supporting the possibility of overlapping mechanisms between motion sickness and chronic pain.
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Graham L. Moseley, Neil Pearson, Roland Reezigt, Victoria J. Madden, Mark R. Hutchinson, Martin Dunbar, Anneke J. Beetsma, Hayley B. Leake, Pete Moore, Laura Simons, Lauren Heathcote, Cormac Ryan, Carolyn Berryman, Amelia K. Mardon, Benedict M. Wand
Article
Clinical Neurology
Caitlin A. Howlett, Tyman Stanford, Carolyn Berryman, Emma L. Karran, Valeria Bellan, Scott Coussens, Stephanie Miles, G. Lorimer Moseley
Summary: This study found no differences in cognitive flexibility between individuals with and without persistent pain. There were also no significant correlations between the two assessments, suggesting that persistent pain may not affect cognitive flexibility.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2023)
