About 1 in 20 people globally are affected by fibromyalgia. Nearly 5 million adults have been diagnosed with the condition.
That’s not all; about 30% of patients with fibromyalgia have depression at the time of diagnosis, and their lifetime prevalence is 74%, and about 60% suffer from anxiety disorder. Lastly, this condition can result in 5.5 million visits to the doctor’s office.
The numbers indicate a frightening reality—fibromyalgia is more common than we think it is.
But it is even more frustrating if you are affected by the condition and have to live with it.
It’s frustrating when treatments—like medications or physical therapy—don’t always provide the relief you need. But what if there was another way to manage your pain? A way that lets you take control of your symptoms without relying solely on medication?
This blog will explore how virtual reality (VR) can transform your fibromyalgia pain management and help you regain control over your daily life. From reducing pain perception to easing stress and anxiety, VR therapy provides a whole new way to manage your symptoms in a way that’s engaging, flexible, and drug-free.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, tenderness, and a heightened sensitivity to pressure. It affects the muscles, joints, and soft tissues throughout the body, leading to persistent discomfort ranging from a dull ache to more intense pain1. In addition to physical pain, people with fibromyalgia often experience fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive challenges, and emotional distress, which can significantly impact their day-to-day lives.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
One of the most challenging aspects of fibromyalgia is its variety of symptoms, which can fluctuate in severity and frequency. Some of the most common symptoms2 include:
- Widespread Pain: A typical symptom of fibromyalgia is pain that affects both sides of the body, above and below the waist. This pain is often described as a constant, dull ache that can sometimes be debilitating.
- Fatigue: Even after a whole night’s sleep, those with fibromyalgia often wake up feeling exhausted. Sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea are also common, further contributing to feelings of fatigue.
- Cognitive Difficulties: Many individuals experience memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and a feeling of mental cloudiness, often called “fibro fog.” This can make it hard to focus on tasks or make decisions.
- Sleep Disturbances: Poor sleep quality is a common issue, with many patients reporting difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, or waking up feeling unrested. The pain itself can also interfere with achieving restful sleep.
- Sensitivity to Touch: People with fibromyalgia often experience heightened sensitivity to touch, temperature, bright lights, and loud noises. Even a gentle touch can cause discomfort in those with fibromyalgia.
While fibromyalgia has no specific cause, it has no specific “cure.” This may be a frustrating reality if you are dealing with fibromyalgia day in and out. This means that you cannot get rid of fibromyalgia but only hope to manage its symptoms effectively, ensuring it doesn’t take over your life completely.
Why Managing Fibromyalgia is Difficult
Managing fibromyalgia can be incredibly frustrating if you’re living with it. One of the biggest challenges is that fibromyalgia affects everyone differently, making it hard to find a one-size-fits-all solution. You might have good days when your symptoms feel manageable, followed by days where the pain, fatigue, and discomfort flare up out of nowhere, leaving you feeling drained and overwhelmed.
One of the toughest parts of fibromyalgia is its unpredictability. One day, you might feel like you’re in control, and the next, even simple tasks like getting out of bed or going for a walk might feel impossible. This fluctuation can make it hard to plan your day or stick to routines, leading to feelings of frustration or even isolation.
The condition is also challenging because it amplifies pain signals in your brain and nervous system. This heightened sensitivity means things that shouldn’t hurt—like a light touch or gentle pressure—can feel painful.
It’s not just physical pain, either. The mental toll it takes on your body, known as “fibro fog,” can make it difficult to concentrate or remember things, and lack of restful sleep can leave you feeling exhausted no matter how much rest you get.
Managing fibromyalgia isn’t just about dealing with the pain. It’s about coping with the exhaustion, the cognitive challenges, and the emotional strain. Conventional treatments like medications, physical therapy, and counseling can help, but they don’t always provide consistent relief. That’s why it can feel like a battle—finding something that works for you and helps you feel more in control can take time.
But even though fibromyalgia is difficult to manage, many people are exploring new ways to manage their symptoms. An innovative approach people turn to these days is virtual reality therapy, which helps not only with physical pain but also provides mental relief by immersing you in calming, therapeutic environments. This can help you regain control and improve your quality of life.
Virtual Reality: A New Hope for Fibromyalgia Pain Management
Living with fibromyalgia can feel like a never-ending cycle of pain and fatigue, but what if there was a way to ease that pain without relying solely on medications? That’s where virtual reality (VR) comes in—an innovative approach to help manage your pain right from the comfort of your home.
Here is how VR can aid you with pain management for fibromyalgia:
Immersive Distraction from Pain
A study involving participants with self-reported low back pain or fibromyalgia was divided into two groups. One group received a virtual reality headset pre-loaded with the experimental software, and the other received a link to the audio recordings, which they could stream or download to their devices3.
As a result, while both groups experienced a reduction in all measures of pain, the effect was stronger in the VR group. Patients in the VR group also reported a 30% reduction in pain intensity; pain-related sleep interference was reduced by 40%; pain-related mood interference was decreased by 50%; and pain-related stress interference by 49%3.
When you use virtual reality therapy, you’re placed in a fully immersive 3D environment that feels incredibly real. Whether it’s a tranquil beach, a lush forest, or another calming space, VR pulls your brain’s focus away from pain. It allows healthcare professionals to manipulate your body’s sensations and reduce pain perception. It’s not just a distraction—it helps your mind focus on something soothing, reducing how strongly you perceive the pain. This break from constant discomfort can offer you natural relief.
Reduction of Pain Perception
Most studies claim that VR can help “rewire” neural pathways4 and alter how your brain processes pain. In fact, doctors and scientists are now using VR to regrow neurons and help people regain movement after injuries. VR headsets allow patients to visualize their legs walking or arms moving. These actions mimic how we originally learned to move our bodies and how the brain first wired those neurons of movement5.
Researchers have even seen neural growth in paraplegics by having them watch their legs moving in a VR headset for an hour twice a week, and patients have even been able to feel their limbs after consistent treatment5.
By engaging with VR, your brain becomes less sensitive to pain signals, helping to lower the intensity of the pain you feel. This is especially helpful for people with fibromyalgia, where the nervous system often amplifies pain. VR helps calm this overactive response, allowing your body to rest.
Eases Stress and Anxiety
Fibromyalgia isn’t just about physical pain—stress and anxiety can make your symptoms worse. VR therapy incorporates relaxation techniques that can lower your stress levels. Imagine meditating in a peaceful mountain setting or practicing deep breathing while watching a calming sunset. A recent study found that several pain-related measures, such as pain intensity, pain-related activity, mood, sleep, and stress, were lowered by 30%-50% in participants who used the VR-based mindfulness intervention6.
Additionally, many studies have reported significant effects on pain reduction after VR interventions and reported a significant impact on managing anxiety, depression, and mood7. When combined with VR, activities such as mindfulness and meditation can help relax your mind and body, reducing the likelihood of stress-related pain flare-ups.
Customizable for Your Needs
Pain management for fibromyalgia isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It manifests differently in each individual. However, VR-based therapy can easily overcome this with customizable environments and activities. The treatment can be tailored to what works best for you. Whether you need light physical exercises to improve movement or simply want to sit back and experience a relaxing environment, the program can be adapted to meet your specific needs.
At XRHealth, our clinicians work with you to develop a therapy plan suited to your needs, ensuring a personalized and effective approach to managing your symptoms.
Multidisciplinary Approach
One of the unique advantages of VR therapy is that it addresses both the physical pain and the emotional toll that fibromyalgia takes on your body and mind. Studies show that VR treatment for fibromyalgia aids in rehabilitation, pain reduction, distraction from pain, and relaxation8.
A few other studies have indicated that VR treatments also reported a significant reduction in anxiety and depression and an improvement in mood9. In addition to providing pain relief, VR exercises can gently help improve mobility, balance, and strength. Meanwhile, the calming environments help alleviate feelings of frustration, sadness, or anxiety that often accompany chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia.
Accessible from Home
A significant benefit of VR therapy is that you don’t have to travel to a clinic for treatment. At a clinic like XRHealth, you can access your therapy sessions from the comfort of your home whenever it fits your schedule.
This flexibility means you can manage your pain on your terms without the hassle of appointments or waiting times. Additionally, when VR therapy becomes easily accessible, you are more likely to use it regularly, which can help you stay consistent with your pain management routine.
Drug-Free Approach
For many fibromyalgia patients, medications alone aren’t enough to control pain—or they come with unwanted side effects. While the FDA has explicitly recommended certain medications and even antidepressants for pain management of fibromyalgia, these medications can have severe side effects10. These side effects include dizziness, tiredness, headache, nausea, constipation, unsteadiness, and sleeping and memory issues10.
Studies have shown patients stopping their treatment due to side effects such as nausea or sleep problems11. On average, 10 to 17 out of 100 people who took any of these medications stopped their treatment due to side effects11.
Virtual reality therapy offers a completely drug-free approach to managing your pain. It works alongside any existing treatments you may be using, enhancing your overall treatment plan without the fear of additional medications.
Highly Engaging Experience
One of the most exciting aspects of VR therapy is how fully immersive and engaging it is. Studies have shown that the average attrition rate in VR treatments is anywhere between 11.7% and 53.3%12. Unlike traditional pain management techniques, virtual reality captures your attention completely, pulling you into a 360-degree world where you can interact with calming environments or guided exercises.
This deep level of engagement helps distract your mind from the pain and keeps you focused on the therapy, making it easier to stay involved. Whether you’re walking through a serene forest or participating in relaxing activities, VR’s interactive nature makes it feel more like an adventure rather than just another treatment, which can be especially helpful for maintaining motivation during your pain management journey.
From its immersive, calming environments to its ability to distract the brain from pain, VR therapy helps you take control of your symptoms in a way that traditional treatments often can’t.
It’s not just a passive form of treatment—it’s a highly interactive experience that keeps you motivated to continue managing your condition. Whether you’re looking for a drug-free option or an additional tool to complement your current treatment plan, VR therapy has the potential to improve your quality of life, helping you live with more comfort and control over your pain.
Take Control of Your Fibromyalgia Pain with XRHealth
XRHealth is a telehealth therapy clinic that helps you manage fibromyalgia pain through innovative, patient-centered treatments. Our VR-based medical environments offer a revolutionary approach to pain management, helping you regain control over your daily life.
Our virtual clinic provides a multidisciplinary approach to care, offering coordinated treatments that address your physical and mental health needs. Our team includes mental health providers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, all working together to ensure a holistic approach to your treatment.
With over three decades of research supporting virtual reality in healthcare, our evidence-based solutions are designed to deliver the highest level of care for fibromyalgia patients like you.
Explore how VR can help manage your fibromyalgia pain.
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