Table 2.
Examples of mobile and VR applications for pain management.
|
Developing
company |
Available applications | Description of application | Mechanism of action | Clinical data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AppliedVR | RelieVRx; EaseVRx | Marketed for the treatment of moderate to severe low back pain. Manage pain via immersive experience, guide patients to desirable clinical outcomes. Opioid sparing clinical treatment. Participants in their VR intervention for 2 weeks endorsed reduced pain catastrophizing scores as well as reduced overall pain. | Theories stemming from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) employed in tandem with VR. | Garcia et al. (54) Garcia et al. (9) Spiegel et al. (55) |
| BreatheVR | BreatheVR | BreatheVR is a companion application for the Gear VR and Oculus GO VR setups. 8 of 10 participants in the initial pilot study all reported significant reductions in pain after only short periods of time using BreatheVR. | Deep breathing techniques in combination with a specifically designed relaxation VR landscape. | Mevlevioglu et al. (56) |
| Flowly | Flowly | The Flowly mobile application manages pain using theories from biofeedback in combination with VR to encourage pain management for patients and teach lasting techniques. Participants in their initial trials reported lower pain scores, lower pain catastrophizing scores, and reported needing lower dosages of their opioid medication to manage pain following the intervention. | Use of VR in combination with Flowly's mobile application to teach techniques of biofeedback, promoting pain management. | Flowly (57) |
| Kaia Health | Kaia Health | Musculoskeletal pain care with the use of custom physical therapy or rehabilitation exercise programs. Users report reduction in pain symptoms, reduction in stress symptoms, and further benefits. Accessible, clinical grade PT from the comfort of home. | Use of AI algorithms to guide physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions. Established PT methods such as progressive muscle relaxation. Used in combination with VR for best results. | Biebl et al. (58) Priebe et al. (25) |
CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy; VR, virtual reality; PT, physical therapy.