A Therapeutic Matrix: Virtual Reality as a Clinical Tool for Spinal Cord Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic, debilitating, and resistant form of pain that often occurs after spinal cord injuries (SCI). Current treatments are not very effective, so alternative approaches are needed. Virtual reality (VR) may help by providing experiences that reduce the effects of long-term NP through multisensory modulation of the sense of agency and ownership. VR techniques could be systematically adopted in pain research and management procedures, showing encouraging preliminary results in SCI.

• 1
  VR can modulate the sense of ownership of the whole body or single body parts by altering the congruity of multisensory information.
• 2
  The perception of control while using VR positively influences pain tolerance and promotes adaptive behaviors.
• 3
  Combining VR with motor imagery and neuromodulatory techniques can induce analgesia after SCI.