JULY 18, 2024
A proprietary, skills-based virtual reality (VR) program called RelieVRx (AppliedVR) may relieve pain in a diverse set of patients, including older patients, who have chronic low back pain (cLBP).
“The clinically meaningful reductions in pain intensity and pain interference were across the board, regardless of a person’s age, sex, ethnicity, income or education,” study researcher Todd Maddox, PhD, the vice president of clinical research and development at AppliedVR, in Van
A proprietary, skills-based virtual reality (VR) program called RelieVRx (AppliedVR) may relieve pain in a diverse set of patients, including older patients, who have chronic low back pain (cLBP).
“The clinically meaningful reductions in pain intensity and pain interference were across the board, regardless of a person’s age, sex, ethnicity, income or education,” study researcher Todd Maddox, PhD, the vice president of clinical research and development at AppliedVR, in Van Nuys, Calif., told Pain Medicine News.
Evidence that the program is effective regardless of socioeconomic factors comes from a secondary analysis of a randomized trial comparing the efficacy of RelieveVRx with a sham device (Journal of Medical Extended Reality 2024;1:1:65-72). The trial included 1,093 patients with self-reported cLBP (pain duration more than three months; average pain intensity and interference score, >4 for the previous month [0-10 pain rating numerical scale]).
Demographic analysis indicated that pain reduction was similar in patients less than 65 years of age (n=449; 1.9+/-2.0) and those over 65 (n=87; 1.9+/-1.9), according to the researchers. The investigators also found comparable reductions across sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status (female [n=411; 2.0+/-1.9] compared with male [n=124; 1.7+/-1.9]; white [n=370 1.8+/-1.9] compared with Black [n=81; 2.1+/-2.1] compared with other [n=85; 2.2+/-2.0]; and low [n=332] compared with high [n=204] socioeconomic status, 1.9+/-2.0 vs. 2.0+/-1.8, respectively).
Treatment program engagement was generally consistent across all sociodemographic categories and “the only notable difference was that seniors were significantly more likely to use the devices daily compared [with] those under age 65, contrary to commonly held beliefs around seniors’ willingness to adopt new technology,” Maddox noted.
Despite the encouraging results, Maddox warned that the study’s secondary analysis was conducted once and replicating these findings is critical.
Another limitation, the researchers said, is that patients were classified based on self-reported cLBP that was not confirmed by a healthcare professional. Future studies with independent confirmation of cLBP have been planned, the researchers concluded.
—Myles Star
AppliedVR provided funding for this study.
