Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38587725›Full record

ReviewCurrent pain and headache reports2024

Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review.

Sacha Moreau, Alexandra Thérond, Ivo H Cerda, Kachina Studer, Alicia Pan, Jacob Tharpe, Jason E Crowther, Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Chris Gilligan, Reda Tolba and 5 more

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Current pain and headache reports, 2024. 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 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT07599826 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Active vs. Passive Virtual Reality for Reducing Pain and Anxiety During Office-based ENT Procedures

TypeinterventionalSponsorCedars-Sinai Medical CenterRan2026 to 2027Enrolled132ConditionsPain, Anxiety, Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS), Nasal ObstructionArmsPassive virtual reality headset or goggles, Active virtual reality headset or goggles
NCT07668115 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Gamifying Hand Therapy: Development of a Mixed Reality Rhythm Game to Reduce Pain and Improve Motivation

TypeinterventionalSponsorWestern UniversityRan2026 to 2026Enrolled20ConditionsAnalgesia Through Mixed RealityArmsCold pressor test, Exercise under resistance
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Tinnitus management by improving resilience using exposure in virtual reality: a scoping review.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Article
  12. Review
  13. The application of metaverse in mental health.Frontiers in public health · 2025
    Review
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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

15 authors.

Sacha Moreau *Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA.
Alexandra Thérond *Department of Psychology, Université du Québec a Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal, QC, H2X 3P2, Canada. therond.alexandra@courrier.uqam.ca.
Ivo H Cerda *Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Kachina Studer *Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Alicia PanNortheastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Jacob TharpeDepartment of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA.
Jason E CrowtherDepartment of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA.
Alaa Abd-ElsayedDepartment of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
Chris GilliganHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Reda TolbaPain Management Department in the Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Sait AshinaDepartment of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Michael E SchatmanDepartment of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Alan D KayeDepartment of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA.
R Jason YongHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Christopher L RobinsonDepartment of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purpose of reviewThis review critically analyzes the recent literature on virtual reality's (VR) use in acute and chronic pain management, offering insights into its efficacy, applications, and limitations. RECENT

findingsRecent studies, including meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials, have demonstrated VR's effectiveness in reducing pain intensity in various acute pain scenarios, such as procedural/acute pain and in chronic pain conditions. The role of factors such as immersion and presence in enhancing VR's efficacy has been emphasized. Further benefits have been identified in the use of VR for assessment as well as symptom gathering through conversational avatars. However, studies are limited, and strong conclusions will require further investigation. VR is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological intervention in pain management for acute and chronic pain. However, its long-term efficacy, particularly in chronic pain management, remains an area requiring further research. Key findings highlight that VR programs vary in efficacy depending on the specificity of the origin of pain.

Indexed as

Acute PainChronic PainPain ManagementVirtual RealityHumansVirtual Reality Exposure TherapyAcute painChronic painDigital therapeuticsImmersive technologyPain managementVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID38587725

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.