Virtual Reality Graded Exposure Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study
Context: Chronic low back pain is amajor cause of disability in the world. Asmost cases have no pathological cause,methods have traditionally been focusedon graded exposure therapy and exercise.These methods however, are costly interms of manpower, have unclear timespans, and are often associated with highpatient attrition.Objectives: With the advent ofaffordable high performance virtual realitysystem, we investigate the feasibility andacceptability of a virtual reality game fortreatment of chronic low back pain.Methods: We used graded activity,biofeedback, and gamification principles tocreate a virtual reality dodgeball gamewhere patients have to pick up balls andhit enemies. We create a full body trackingsolution such that we can tailor the gameto the individual patients range of motion.The game is further created with feedbackfrom an expert in pain rehabilitation.Results: The game is tested withexperts, patients, and a healthy sample.The experts were interviewed on feasibilityand usability, patients on acceptability, andhealthy participants on general usability.The findings showed that the game in aclinic setting was very feasible, andpatients were high encouraged by thegame, and moving more than baseline.Conclusion: We found that the gamecould be used in a clinic setting, andpatients are very willing to play as well asfinding it fun, while not increasing ordecreasing back pain, and providessuggestions for future improvements.
https://vbn.aau.dk/ws/files/281189247/MTA181038_Virtual_Reality_Graded_Exposure_Therapy_for_Chronic_Low_Back_Pain_A_Pilot_Study.pdf