A new virtual reality-based therapy module offers a treatment alternative for chronic low back pain, a life-altering ailment on the rise and the leading cause of job-related disability. The new lumbar spine module comes from Karuna Labs, creator of personalised functional restoration and chronic pain management programmes using VR technology to retrain the brain.
Karuna Labs uses the new Oculus Quest VR and HTC Vive headsets to deliver chronic pain management programmes that help patients return to their daily routines and improve their quality of life. A series of updated modules addresses various areas of the body, including the newest offering to target lower back pain. The sessions retrain the brain to perceive movement as non-threatening, increasing adherence to the treatment plan and, ultimately, improving range of motion over time.
Karuna’s Virtual Embodiment Training technology applies the following in virtual reality using real-time position tracking:
- Graded Motor Imagery (GMI)
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Corrective exercises from physical therapy which focus on performing activities of daily living.
GMI is the most up-to-date rehabilitation program that combines therapeutic exercise with visual stimulation. It’s part of the company’s Virtual Embodiment Training, which also incorporates VR and Graded Motor Imagery, all supported by decades of research.
“Low back pain is increasingly becoming the number one chronic pain injury we’re seeing patients come to us with, which makes this targeted module particularly important for rehabilitation,” said Lincoln Nguyen, CEO of Karuna Labs.
“Our modules take a biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain, tackling it from the psychological, biomechanical and environmental aspects that create an association between a movement and pain. Current studies show promising response to our modules in helping patients regain quality of life and breaking the cycle of pain.”