B.C. researchers develop virtual reality for pain sufferers

There has been a new breakthrough for chronic pain sufferers and it seems that a virtual walk in the park may be just what the doctor ordered for relief.

Simon Fraser University associate professor Diane Gromala claims research shows that a 3-D walk in the forest has the same power to help people manage chronic pain, sometimes with even more positive results than traditional methods of treatment and medications such as morphine.

Gromala, who is the head of SFU’s Transforming Pain Research Group, is developing a virtual reality technique called “walking meditation.” Simon Fraser University is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

This virtual technique is one of several programs being used around the world to help sufferers of chronic back pain and migraines.“In our scientific tests, it’s proven to be better than opiates. But for people who have chronic pain, they have a range of things they use,” Gromala said. “It’s really a strong tool in an arsenal of things that can reduce the amount of drugs they need to take.”

Chronic pain is described as pain that persists more than six months and often has no cure.

Gromala said the average waiting time to see a pain specialist in Canada is four years.

The virtual reality technique is similar to using movies or video games to distract chronic pain sufferers from their pain. But it takes it a step further: users hook up to a “biofeedback” device by putting Velcro rings around their fingers.

They also wear virtual-reality glasses and earphones, which lets them feel as if they are walking into an interactive computer screen. The glasses have sensors that tell the computer where the users are and what they’re doing.

A meditative voice suggests what to focus on while music plays in the background.

In the walking meditation, for instance, sufferers hooked up to an elliptical machine take a walk through the forest. They can see the rocks and trees and hear the sounds of birds and animals.

All the visuals and sounds reflect the user’s movements, Gromala said. When they are approaching a meditative state, the sun sets and the world becomes quieter.

“You’re distracted from intense pain when you’re in that environment,” said Gromala, who also suffers from nerve entrapment, which feels like a nagging toothache.

“With each (technique) I develop, I learn to meditate better so I’m able to control the pain and frustration that comes with making it go away.”