Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32482376›Full record

ReviewJournal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand Therapists

Virtual reality hand therapy: A new tool for nonopioid analgesia for acute procedural pain, hand rehabilitation, and VR embodiment therapy for phantom limb pain.

Hunter G Hoffman, David A Boe, Eric Rombokas, Christelle Khadra, Sylvie LeMay, Walter J Meyer, Sam Patterson, Ann Ballesteros, Stephen W Pitt

3 registry-linked trialsOpen access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand Therapists. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 22 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed
7.8field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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.

NCT04955613 naunknown statusnot on this map

6Degrees VR System for Treatment of Phantom Limb Pain

TypeinterventionalSponsor6Degrees LTDRan2021 to 2022Enrolled122ConditionsPain, PhantomArmsMyMove/VR system, Mirror therapy
NCT05188040 nacompletednot on this map

Virtual Reality in Hand Therapy Effectiveness and Implementation

TypeinterventionalSponsorTimothy UhlRan2022 to 2023Enrolled9ConditionsDistal Radius Fracture, Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome, Flexor Tendon RuptureArmsVirtual Reality Exercises
NCT07630350 naenrolling by invitationnot on this map

Use of Virtual Reality in Outpatient Management of Pediatric Chronic Pain of Head, Neck and Upper Extremity

TypeinterventionalSponsorElizabeth PickleRan2026 to 2027Enrolled20ConditionsChronic Pain ManagementArmsVirtual reality gaming, Physical therapy exercises
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 68 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
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  4. Article
  5. Review
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  8. Article
  9. Phantom Limb Pain Management.The Journal of hand surgery · 2025
    Review
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. 180-degree immersive VR motion visualization in the treatment of haemophilic ankle arthropathy.Haemophilia : the official journal of the World Federation of Hemophilia · 2023
    Article
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

9 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Hunter G HoffmanVirtual Reality Research Center at the Human Photonics Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Electronic address: Hunthoff9@gmail.com.
David A BoeCenter for Limb Loss and Mobility, Veterans Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA.
Eric RombokasCenter for Limb Loss and Mobility, Veterans Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA.
Christelle KhadraFaculty of Nursing, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Sylvie LeMayFaculty of Nursing, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Walter J MeyerDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, Shriners Hospitals for Children Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA.
Sam PattersonVirtual Reality Research Center at the Human Photonics Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Ann BallesterosEmerging Science Innovation & Digital Innovation, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Warren, NJ.
Stephen W PittJohnson and Johnson JLABS @ US North East (NYC, Boston, & Philadelphia), NY, NY.
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine · CAUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs · USUniversity of Washington · USGlaxoSmithKline (United States) · USJohnson & Johnson (United States) · USShriners Hospitals for Children - Galveston · US

Funding

OPTIMIZING THE CONTROL OF PAIN FROM SEVERE BURNSR01GM042725 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI PATTERSON, DAVID R · 1990 to 2018
$7.5M
NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM042725
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAffordable virtual reality (VR) technology is now widely available. Billions of dollars are currently being invested into improving and mass producing VR and augmented reality products. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of the present study is to explore the potential of immersive VR to make physical therapy/occupational therapy less painful, more fun, and to help motivate patients to cooperate with their hand therapist. DISCUSSION: The following topics are covered: a) psychological influences on pain perception, b) the logic of how VR analgesia works, c) evidence for reduction of acute procedural pain during hand therapy, d) recent major advances in VR technology, and e) future directions-immersive VR embodiment therapy for phantom limb (chronic) pain.

conclusionVR hand therapy has potential for a wide range of patient populations needing hand therapy, including acute pain and potentially chronic pain patients. Being in VR helps reduce the patients' pain, making it less painful for patients to move their hand/fingers during hand therapy, and gamified VR can help motivate the patient to perform therapeutic hand exercises, and make hand therapy more fun. In addition, VR camera-based hand tracking technology may be used to help therapists monitor how well patients are doing their hand therapy exercises, and to quantify whether adherence to treatment increases long-term functionality. Additional research and development into using VR as a tool for hand therapist is recommended for both acute pain and persistent pain patient populations.

Indexed as

Exercise TherapyHandVideo GamesVirtual RealityAcute PainAnalgesiaChronic PainHumansAcute painHand therapyImmersive virtual realityPain distraction phantom limb painPersistent pain

Identifiers

PMID32482376
PMCPMC7719341
OpenAlexW3029310104

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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.