A new modality of pain treatment using virtual reality
VIRTUAL REALITY
is a proven way to alleviate pain. Decades of published research show that VR therapies can help the brain cope with immediate pain by changing the focus of attention. VR also supports experiential learning through creating convincing visual illusions that the brain reacts to as if they were real (for instance, in retraining limb movement during physical therapy after injury). Clinical studies show that using VR can even reduce the reliance on opioids. The proven techniques of VR therapy are evolving quickly, but it’s now well understood that VR has the ability to help people perform better and tap into their capacity to focus and be mindful.
A NOVEL THERAPY
like VR takes time to integrate into clinical care. Consumer-friendly VR headsets are on the market and constantly improving and becoming more affordable. Since VR is non-invasive with small risk, there are minimal regulatory barriers. But big challenges remain. Injecting a new modality into the flow of care takes time and effort. The specific needs of people dealing with pain and injury are not addressed by traditional VR gaming software. Highly specialized products and work flows are required for treatment, and these products will have to be customized for many kinds of conditions and many types of patients.
DEEPSTREAM VR
deployed its first commercial product, COOL! to leading medical institutions as an adjunctive pain relief treatment, with a focus on pediatrics, physical rehabilitation, and chronic pain. Now we are creating an AI biofeedback engine that will enable third-party developers to create better pain management and health apps. Neuro-VR is intelligent middleware that optimizes the input from biosensors to dynamically control the VR experience. DeepStream is bringing an entirely new modality of treatment to people dealing with pain, with a VR engine that allows custom therapies and research.
