NCT02784548

Virtual Reality for Phantom Limb Pain

Adapting Virtual Reality Technology for the Treatment of Phantom Limb Pain

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (actual)
• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will develop a virtual reality-based treatment for phantom limb pain among Veterans and test it against the most established behavioral therapy for phantom limb pain, mirror therapy.

Detailed description

The VA system performs more than 10% of all amputations in the U.S., a percentage translating into more than 50,000 upper and lower extremity amputations in the past decade. Among Veterans with amputations, research suggests that upwards of 70% experience phantom limb pain (PLP), an often chronic and debilitating condition with adverse effects on quality of life and poor responsiveness to conventional pain treatments. The use of virtual reality technology for chronic pain management is a novel and rapidly advancing area of study, with existing research suggesting that virtual reality treatments are effective for acute pain management, promising for chronic pain management, and as yet untested for PLP. In the current study, the investigators will develop a virtual reality environment that simulates mirror therapy - the gold standard behavioral treatment for PLP - comparing the efficacy of this modality in a population of Veterans with PLP against a standard mirror therapy treatment validated by this research team in a previously supported clinical trial.

Conditions

• Phantom Limb Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Virtual Reality	Using a VR headset, motion sensors, and VR software, the investigators will create a customized VR treatment for each participant that engages them in movements and exercises involving their missing limb in a game-like environment. For example, participants may use the headset to engage in activities such as driving a race car around a course requiring both arms, ski down simulated slopes, or manipulate objects.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-10-02
• Primary completion: 2018-09-30
• Completion: 2018-09-30
• First posted: 2016-05-27
• Last updated: 2019-09-17
• Results posted: 2019-09-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States