Randomized-controlled trial of skills-based vr vs. distraction vr vs. sham VR for chronic low back pain - Summary - MDSpire

Randomized-controlled trial of skills-based vr vs. distraction vr vs. sham VR for chronic low back pain

  • By

  • Brennan M. R. Spiegel

  • Samuel A. Eberlein

  • Susan Persky

  • Mariko L. Ishimori

  • Swamy Venuturupalli

  • Joseph Tu

  • Fadi Alhatem

  • Mary A. Vijjeswarapu

  • Zoe Krut

  • Tom Norris

  • So Yung Choi

  • Mourad Tighiouart

  • Lindsey Ross

  • Mark Vrahas

  • Omer Liran

  • Itai Danovitch

  • Tinh Vuong

  • Joshua Fouladian

  • February 16, 2026

  • 0 min

Share

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness and compare the efficacy of three Virtual Reality (VR) interventions for managing chronic low back pain (cLBP).

Key Findings:
  • No significant differences in primary or most secondary outcomes between active VR and Sham VR, suggesting limited clinical relevance.
  • Distraction VR group showed a greater reduction in daily opioid use compared to Sham VR (p = 0.009), indicating potential for opioid-sparing effects.
  • Baseline anxiety predicted PROMIS-PI improvement in the Skills-Based VR group (p = 0.025), suggesting a need for tailored interventions.
  • Adverse events were mostly mild, with cybersickness being the most common, highlighting the importance of monitoring side effects.
Interpretation:

Neither active VR intervention outperformed Sham VR for the primary outcome, indicating limited efficacy of the tested VR approaches for cLBP management, possibly due to the nature of the interventions or participant characteristics.

Limitations:
  • The study may not have been powered to detect smaller treatment effects, which could limit the generalizability of the findings.
  • Exploratory analyses were not pre-specified, which may affect the robustness of findings and their interpretation.
Conclusion:

Future studies should focus on anxiety-moderated treatment effects and opioid-use reduction as primary outcomes to better assess the potential of VR in managing cLBP, emphasizing the need for larger, well-designed trials.

Original Source(s)

Randomized-controlled trial of skills-based vr vs. distraction vr vs. sham VR for chronic low back pain

  • by Brennan M. R. Spiegel, Samuel A. Eberlein, Susan Persky, Mariko L. Ishimori, Swamy Venuturupalli, Joseph Tu, Fadi Alhatem, Mary A. Vijjeswarapu, Zoe Krut, Tom Norris, So Yung Choi, Mourad Tighiouart, Lindsey Ross, Mark Vrahas, Omer Liran, Itai Danovitch, Tinh Vuong, Joshua Fouladian

  • February 16, 2026

Related Content

Perceived stress and depression among Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional mediation analysis of psychological flexibility and its components

Combination Therapy Shows Potential in Psoriasis, Obesity

Researchers assess whether adding tirzepatide to ixekizumab affects skin and weight outcomes in adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Association of CTI and its obesity-related derivatives with incident depression among middle-aged and older adults across CKM stages 0-4: a nationwide prospective cohort study and external clinical validation