Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot Study

Objective As technology continues to improve, it plays an increasingly vital role in the practice of medicine. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the implementation of virtual reality (VR) in a rheumatology clinic as a platform to administer guided meditation and biofeedback as a means of...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: R. Swamy Venuturupalli, Timothy Chu, Marcus Vicari, Amit Kumar, Natalie Fortune, Ben Spielberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-12-01
Series:ACR Open Rheumatology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11092
id doaj-ad2e5df1ef734c8d9d9231841a633819
record_format Article
spelling doaj-ad2e5df1ef734c8d9d9231841a6338192020-11-25T02:37:14ZengWileyACR Open Rheumatology2578-57452019-12-0111066767510.1002/acr2.11092Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot StudyR. Swamy Venuturupalli0Timothy Chu1Marcus Vicari2Amit Kumar3Natalie Fortune4Ben Spielberg5University of California at Los Angeles, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, and Attune Health Research Beverly Hills CaliforniaAttune Health Beverly Hills CaliforniaAttune Health Beverly Hills CaliforniaAttune Health Beverly Hills CaliforniaAttune Health Beverly Hills CaliforniaTMS & Brain Health Santa Monica CaliforniaObjective As technology continues to improve, it plays an increasingly vital role in the practice of medicine. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the implementation of virtual reality (VR) in a rheumatology clinic as a platform to administer guided meditation and biofeedback as a means of reducing chronic pain. Methods Twenty participants were recruited from a rheumatology clinic. These participants included adults with physician‐diagnosed autoimmune disorders who were on a stable regimen of medication and had a score of at least 5 on the pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for a minimum of 4 days during the prior 30 days. VAS, part of most composite outcome measurements in rheumatology, is an instrument used to assess pain that consists of a straight line with the endpoints ranging from “no pain at all” and “pain as bad as it could be.” Patients were randomized into two groups that differed in the order in which they experienced the two VR modules. One module consisted of a guided meditation (GM) environment, whereas the other module consisted of a respiratory biofeedback (BFD) environment. Data on pain and anxiety levels were gathered before, during, and after the two modules. Results The three most common diagnoses among participants were rheumatoid arthiritis (RA), lupus, and fibromyalgia. There was a significant reduction in VAS scores after BFD and GM (P values = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). There was a significant reduction in Facial Anxiety Scale after the GM compared with the BFD (P values = 0.02 and 0.08, respectively). Conclusion This novel study demonstrated that VR could be a feasible solution for the management of pain and anxiety in rheumatology patients. Further trials with varying treatment exposures and durations are required to solidify the viability of VR as a treatment option in rheumatology clinics.https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11092
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author R. Swamy Venuturupalli
Timothy Chu
Marcus Vicari
Amit Kumar
Natalie Fortune
Ben Spielberg
spellingShingle R. Swamy Venuturupalli
Timothy Chu
Marcus Vicari
Amit Kumar
Natalie Fortune
Ben Spielberg
Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot Study
ACR Open Rheumatology
author_facet R. Swamy Venuturupalli
Timothy Chu
Marcus Vicari
Amit Kumar
Natalie Fortune
Ben Spielberg
author_sort R. Swamy Venuturupalli
title Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot Study
title_short Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot Study
title_full Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot Study
title_fullStr Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot Study
title_full_unstemmed Virtual Reality–Based Biofeedback and Guided Meditation in Rheumatology: A Pilot Study
title_sort virtual reality–based biofeedback and guided meditation in rheumatology: a pilot study
publisher Wiley
series ACR Open Rheumatology
issn 2578-5745
publishDate 2019-12-01
description Objective As technology continues to improve, it plays an increasingly vital role in the practice of medicine. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the implementation of virtual reality (VR) in a rheumatology clinic as a platform to administer guided meditation and biofeedback as a means of reducing chronic pain. Methods Twenty participants were recruited from a rheumatology clinic. These participants included adults with physician‐diagnosed autoimmune disorders who were on a stable regimen of medication and had a score of at least 5 on the pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for a minimum of 4 days during the prior 30 days. VAS, part of most composite outcome measurements in rheumatology, is an instrument used to assess pain that consists of a straight line with the endpoints ranging from “no pain at all” and “pain as bad as it could be.” Patients were randomized into two groups that differed in the order in which they experienced the two VR modules. One module consisted of a guided meditation (GM) environment, whereas the other module consisted of a respiratory biofeedback (BFD) environment. Data on pain and anxiety levels were gathered before, during, and after the two modules. Results The three most common diagnoses among participants were rheumatoid arthiritis (RA), lupus, and fibromyalgia. There was a significant reduction in VAS scores after BFD and GM (P values = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). There was a significant reduction in Facial Anxiety Scale after the GM compared with the BFD (P values = 0.02 and 0.08, respectively). Conclusion This novel study demonstrated that VR could be a feasible solution for the management of pain and anxiety in rheumatology patients. Further trials with varying treatment exposures and durations are required to solidify the viability of VR as a treatment option in rheumatology clinics.
url https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11092
work_keys_str_mv AT rswamyvenuturupalli virtualrealitybasedbiofeedbackandguidedmeditationinrheumatologyapilotstudy
AT timothychu virtualrealitybasedbiofeedbackandguidedmeditationinrheumatologyapilotstudy
AT marcusvicari virtualrealitybasedbiofeedbackandguidedmeditationinrheumatologyapilotstudy
AT amitkumar virtualrealitybasedbiofeedbackandguidedmeditationinrheumatologyapilotstudy
AT nataliefortune virtualrealitybasedbiofeedbackandguidedmeditationinrheumatologyapilotstudy
AT benspielberg virtualrealitybasedbiofeedbackandguidedmeditationinrheumatologyapilotstudy
_version_ 1724795953106386944