Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
August 22, 2026HealthcareOpen Access

Effects of a Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Exercise Game on Fear of Movement, Pain, and Disability in People with Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Authors

HAHana AlsobayelKAkholoud AlmufaireejDADalia Alimam

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Randomized trial demonstrates greater short-term pain relief with immersive virtual reality exercise in chronic low back pain, suggesting benefits for acute symptom management.

Key Points

  • To evaluate the efficacy of a fully immersive virtual reality exercise game on pain intensity, fear-avoidance beliefs, and functional disability in individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain.
  • Conducted a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with 28 participants (aged 18–60 years) diagnosed with chronic non-specific low back pain.
  • Randomized participants to either a virtual reality exercise group with education (n = 14) or a conventional home exercise group with education (n = 14), performing daily sessions for 2 weeks.
  • Evaluated outcomes at baseline and 2 weeks using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Back Beliefs Questionnaire, and functional mobility tests.
  • Virtual reality exercise achieved a statistically significant reduction in pain compared to conventional home exercise (between-group difference p = 0.044).
  • No statistically significant within-group or between-group differences were observed for fear-avoidance beliefs (FABQ) or disability scores (ODI).
  • Physical functional outcomes, including the six-minute walk test, repeated sit-to-stand, and trunk flexion, showed no significant between-group differences.

Cite This Study

Alsobayel et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a895ffeca7ade938187ef78https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14162641
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Virtual Reality for the Treatment of Chronic Back Pain: Feasibility of a Novel Intervention Combining Movement Exercises and Body Illusions (Preprint)2025
  2. 2Pain Education and Virtual Reality Improves Pain, Pain-related Fear of Movement, and Trunk Kinematics in Individuals With Persistent Low Back Pain2024
  3. 3Randomized-controlled trial of skills-based vr vs. distraction vr vs. sham VR for chronic low back pain2026
  4. 4Effectiveness of Virtual Reality on Rehabilitation of Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain Patients2024 · 8 citations
  5. 5Study protocol: use of virtual reality in a functional restoration programme for the spine—single-arm acceptance study2025