Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32321516›Full record

Trial reportJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2020

Virtual reality distraction induces hypoalgesia in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Thomas Matheve, Katleen Bogaerts, Annick Timmermans

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 56 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
56citing papers in PubMed, 15 pooled it
11.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02679300 nacompletednot on this map

The Influence of a Virtual Reality Environment on Pain Perception During Exercises for Patients With Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorHasselt UniversityRan2016 to 2018Enrolled84ConditionsChronic Low Back PainArmsVirtual reality exercise group, Conventional exercise group (control group)
NCT05760040 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

The Effect of Virtual Reality Application on Pain, Anxiety and Satisfaction of Patients During Intrauterine Device (Iud) Insertion

TypeinterventionalSponsorMarmara UniversityRan2022 to 2023Enrolled80ConditionsPain, Anxiety, SatisfactionArmsvırtual reality, Control Group
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

56 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 133 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A Systematic Review of Pain Catastrophizing and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain.Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses · 2026
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  15. Exercise therapy for chronic low back pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021
    Pooled it
  16. Virtual reality for outpatient management of cancer pain: a pilot dosing study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Thomas MatheveFaculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, building A, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium. Thomas.Matheve@uhasselt.be.
Katleen BogaertsFaculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, building A, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Annick TimmermansFaculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, building A, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Hasselt University · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAttentional distraction from pain has been shown to be largely ineffective for obtaining a hypoalgesic effect in patients with chronic pain when compared to a control condition. It has been hypothesized that this may be due to the non-engaging types of distraction that have been used so far. Moreover, it is suggested that the hypoalgesic effects of distraction may be attenuated by pain-related cognitions and emotions, as they may increase the attention to pain.

methodsIn this randomized controlled trial, patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain in the intervention group (n = 42) performed a single exercise session with nonimmersive VR games, while those in the control group (n = 42) performed the same exercises without VR games. We investigated whether VR distraction had a hypoalgesic effect during and immediately after the exercises, and whether it reduced the time spent thinking of pain during the exercises. We further explored whether pain-related fear, pain catastrophizing and baseline pain intensity moderated the effects of VR distraction.

resultsVR distraction had a hypoalgesic effect during (Cohen's d = 1.29) and immediately after (Cohen's d = 0.85) the exercises, and it also reduced the time spent thinking of pain (Cohen's d = 1.31). Preliminary exploratory analyses showed that pain-related fear, pain catastrophizing and baseline pain intensity did not moderate the effects of VR distraction.

conclusionsLarge effect sizes of VR distraction induced hypoalgesia were observed. This suggests that nonimmersive VR games can be used when it is deemed important to reduce the pain during exercises in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain.

trial registrationNCT02679300. This trial was registered on 10 February 2016.

Indexed as

AttentionVirtual RealityAdultExerciseFemaleHumansLow Back PainMalePain ManagementPain MeasurementVideo GamesAnalgesiaCatastrophizingChronic low back painDistractionGamificationPain-related fearVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID32321516
PMCPMC7178732
OpenAlexW3017878292

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.