NCT04700033

Immersive Virtual Reality for Chronic Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury: A Feasibility Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 23 (actual)
• Sponsor: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The aim of this study is to provide critical information about the efficacy of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) to decrease the experience of neuropathic pain in the upper and lower extremities of people with a spinal cord injury.

Detailed description

When a spinal cord injury occurs, the spinal somatosensory circuit is thought to generate aberrant nociceptive impulses that the brain interprets as pain. Neuropathic pain (NP) affects 40 to 70% of people with SCI and is a very disabling clinical condition. Many treatment options have been offered, but provide limited effects, leaving people with SCI with a reduced quality of life. The study team believes that Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) neurorehabilitation has the potential to be an effective treatment for chronic neuropathic pain. For this reason, the objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a virtual reality device to decrease chronic neuropathic pain in individuals with spinal cord injury.

Conditions

• Neuralgia
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Chronic Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Somatic IVR (sIVR)	This intervention will consist of an IVR protocol that is focused on somatic interaction that encourages disassociation between pain and visualization and movement of the affected limbs. Subjects in this group will be exposed to an IVR environment that cycles them through a series of stretching and mobility exercises for the affected limbs bilaterally.
DEVICE	Distractive IVR (dIVR)	This intervention will consist of an IVR that is focused on distracting the subject from the pain. Subjects in this group will be exposed to a variety of engaging landscape IVR environments, without the ability to visualize their own body.
DEVICE	Control IVR (cIVR)	This intervention will consist of an IVR exposure to a black screen for 20 minutes. No light, images or scenery will be present in the IVR and it will serve as a control condition for the trial.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-07-17
• Primary completion: 2022-05-05
• Completion: 2022-05-05
• First posted: 2021-01-07
• Last updated: 2022-06-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States