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Immersive VR-Biofeedback Shows Promise for Fibromyalgia Care
Immersive virtual reality combined with multisensor biofeedback (IVR-BF) demonstrated significant potential for alleviating chronic pain and improving quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia after five treatment sessions. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial at a tertiary academic referral center for fibromyalgia to assess the feasibility and efficacy of IVR-BF in reducing chronic pain and improving quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia.
They included 23 women (median age, 47 years) with chronic nononcologic widespread musculoskeletal pain who met the criteria for fibromyalgia.
Participants were randomly assigned to either the immediate treatment group that completed five IVR-BF sessions within 10 days (n = 12) or the waitlist control group that did not receive any treatment during the period (n = 11). The waitlist group received treatment after completion of sessions in the treatment group. Both groups were monitored for up to 15 days after the final session.
During each 15-minute virtual reality session, participants sat comfortably in an armchair and wore a headset. A Quest Touch controller was provided for a brief interaction with the virtual environment, with two tasks of 3 minutes each assigned during the session. Heart rate, skin conductance, and respiratory activity were recorded using electrodes and sensors.
Participants completed questionnaires such as the visual analog scale for pain (VAS pain) and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) for the impact of the condition on daily life; the primary outcome was reduction (at least 30%) in pain intensity, assessed through VAS scores. TAKEAWAY: Patients receiving IVR-BF experienced significantly greater pain reduction than untreated control patients, with a 50.97% improvement in VAS pain scores.
Patients receiving IVR-BF showed a significant improvement in VAS pain from baseline after five sessions ( P < .001), whereas the untreated control patients did not show this improvement.
< .001), whereas the untreated control patients did not show this improvement. Likewise, patients receiving IVR-BF experienced significantly greater reductions in FIQ scores than untreated control patients, with a 39.73% improvement in scores. Improvements were also noted in respiratory rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance levels across sessions.
Overall, 78.25% of patients experienced no adverse events, and one patient had moderate blurred vision during and immediately after IVR-BF sessions, leading to discontinuation. Additionally, 71.43% reported being satisfied with the intervention. IN PRACTICE:
'The study demonstrates the feasibility and the promising potential of the IVR-BF approach for FM [fibromyalgia] treatment and suggests that IVR can enhance biofeedback efficacy by fostering a more engaging and relaxing experience,' the study authors wrote. SOURCE:
This study was led by Luca Chittaro, MSc, University of Udine, Udine, Italy. It was published online on May 15, 2025, in ACR Open Rheumatology . LIMITATIONS:
This trial lacked a placebo control group and may be potentially subjected to investigator bias due to unmasked results. The duration of the study was short, and its small sample size comprising women may limit the generalizability of the findings. DISCLOSURES:
The study did not report any specific funding. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Credit
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Cite this: Edited by Shreyasi Asthana. Immersive Virtual Reality-Biofeedback Shows Promise for Fibromyalgia Care in Pilot Study - Medscape - June 03, 2025.
