Virtual Reality as a Tool for Pain Management and Rehabilitation by Melissa Benitez

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 21:07:48 UTC

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising non-pharmacologic intervention for managing acute and chronic pain. Unlike traditional therapies, VR immerses patients in interactive, computer-generated environments that redirect attention away from painful stimuli. In the past five years, VR has been successfully applied for perioperative pain and anxiety reduction, burn wound care, labor pain, and chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain. Recent studies demonstrate that VR can significantly decrease perceived pain intensity, reduce opioid use, and improve rehabilitation engagement. Its portability through lightweight headsets makes VR a scalable option for hospitals and outpatient settings. This innovation represents a significant advancement in multimodal pain management strategies, particularly important amid the opioid crisis (Garcia et al., 2022).

Pros

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 21:36:57 UTC

- Lessens the feeling of acute and chronic pain.

- Lessens the need for opioids and other painkillers.

- Not invasive, not drug-based, and usually safe.

- Helps patients get more involved in their rehabilitation exercises.

- Portable and getting cheaper as consumer-grade VR headsets become more common.

Cons

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 21:38:28 UTC

- Some patients may get dizzy or sick from moving around.

- Needs training for staff and orientation for patients.

- There isn't much evidence about long-term outcomes for some groups of people with chronic pain.

- Problems with accessibility in facilities with few resources.

- Cost of hardware and software up front.

Opinion and Rationale

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 21:40:01 UTC

I think that VR is one of the most exciting new ways to treat pain right now. It can distract, engage, and retrain the brain, giving both short-term and long-term benefits without the dangers of opioid therapy. As VR becomes more affordable and more people study it, I see it as a powerful tool that could be added to regular care, especially for people who are recovering from surgery or dealing with long-term pain.

Using Strengths

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 22:49:26 UTC

My Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Relator, Achiever, Responsibility, Arranger, and Analytical. I think these describe how I show up on a daily basis for my team. As a Relator, I work best by building trust and collaboration, which will help keep the group connected. My Achiever strength pushes me to keep projects moving forward and meet deadlines. Responsibility makes sure I stay on track and don't let things fall through the cracks. I like using Arranger to figure out the best way to organize people and things so that everything goes smoothly. Finally, being analytical helps me look closely at the data and make choices based on what I see.

My Team would include:

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 22:54:05 UTC

Carter (Communication): Carter can take complicated VR information and make it easy for patients, families, and staff to understand.

Faith (Futuristic): Faith can see the big picture, which will help us figure out how VR could grow in health care.

Rachel (Restorative): Rachel is great at solving problems, which is important if we have any technical problems with VR.

Sheila (Strategic): Sheila can help us figure out the best way to put VR into action step by step, taking into account any problems that might come up.

Louis (Student): Louis will keep us up to date on the latest VR research and uses so that our suggestions are always up to date.

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 23:03:42 UTC

melissabenitez2015 — 2025-09-28 23:09:57 UTC

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/2792875