All participants were required to maintain a 20% 1RM isometric bicep curl, whilst reporting ratings of pain intensity and perception of effort. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether the effectiveness of VR in reducing the feeling of exercise pain and effort is moderated by PBC.Įighty participants were recruited to this study and were randomly assigned to a VR or a non-VR control group. As pain and effort are subjective feelings, they are influenced by a variety of psychological factors, including one's awareness of internal body sensations, known as Private Body Consciousness (PBC). Past research has shown that Virtual Reality (VR) is an effective method for reducing the perception of pain and effort associated with exercise. Finally, the appeal of using VR for remote psychotherapy and its observed positive impact on both therapists and participants is discussed. Moreover, the study presents the design opportunities and challenges of such technology, while strengths on the feasibility, and the positive user acceptability of introducing MUVR to facilitate remote psychotherapy. The study capitalises on the opportunities which are offered by a MUVR remote psychotherapeutic session to enhance the outcome of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Play Therapy and Exposure Therapy for sufferers with body shape and weight concerns. This paper demonstrates the positive effect of using MUVR remote psychotherapy to enhance traditional therapeutic practices.
This study is among the first to explore the use of a Multi-User Virtual Reality (MUVR) system as a therapeutic medium for participants at high-risk for developing Eating Disorders. With the advent of lower-cost VR head-mounted-displays (HMDs) and high internet data transfer capacity, there is a new opportunity for applying immersive VR tools to augment existing interventions. Digital technologies are becoming common methods for diagnosis, therapy, and training. Recent years have seen a growing research interest towards designing computer-assisted health interventions aiming to improve mental health services.
Trial registration number and date of registration Protocol ID NCT03998995.
VR can improve functional disabilities, alleviate perceived pain, reduce the perceived difficulty of rehabilitation exercises, increase exercise duration and produce positive emotions towards the therapy.
We found that VR is an effective solution for children with upper limb motor impairment undergoing painful therapeutic process within a hospital environment. Via two interrelated studies, we explored the use of virtual reality (VR) as a tool to provide therapeutic physiotherapy for child patients in an out-patient hospital department. Over recent decades, there has been a growing interest in designing non-pharmacological interventions which aim to minimize pain during physical therapies and improve functional outcomes. Even though therapeutic processes can improve functional outcomes and minimize persistent disabilities, patients often neglect to participate fully in physical therapies due to the associated procedural pain. Children with upper limb motor impairment often undergo repetitive therapeutic physiotherapy sessions to minimize functional disabilities of the affected area.