Abstract
Commercially targeted virtual reality (VR) equipment is gaining popularity and might be a viable tool for pain distraction. This experimental research aimed to discover whether active distraction techniques (such as commercially targeted VR and video games) result in reduced subjective discomfort relative to passive distraction techniques. The study examined a healthy adult population who experienced an experimentally induced discomfort task. Participants were 27 adults, 14 females and 13 males. Participants completed four tasks, a baseline measure of physical discomfort, video clip distraction (passive distraction), video game distraction (active distraction) and exploring a VR world using an Oculus Rift head-mounted display (active distraction). In all four test conditions, participants were asked to sit on a chair holding their non-dominant leg at a height of approximately 30 cm from the floor, up to a maximum of 5 min. Counterbalancing of task order was conducted to reduce effects of participant fatigue. The participants indicated significantly reduced self-reported discomfort in the active distraction tasks when compared to the passive distraction tasks. While the findings demonstrate the effectiveness of a commercially targeted VR technology in increasing pain tolerance, the relative benefits of this technology over non-immersive video games are not apparent.
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Boylan, P., Kirwan, G.H. & Rooney, B. Self-reported discomfort when using commercially targeted virtual reality equipment in discomfort distraction. Virtual Reality 22, 309–314 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-017-0329-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-017-0329-9