None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This single arm, open-label intervention study in people with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) affecting their hand/arm will assess the usability and acceptability of new custom-designed virtual reality software that allows the user to alter the size, colour and transparency of their (virtual) limb when viewing it through a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headset. All participants will receive 4 virtual reality treatment sessions over a 2 week period under the guidance of a specialist pain physiotherapist. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with participants and the physiotherapist will be used to evaluate the usability and acceptability of the new virtual reality treatment. In addition, initial information about how the virtual reality treatment changes signs and symptoms of CRPS (e.g. pain intensity, the way the arm feels and hand swelling and temperature) will be collected before and after each intervention session, during the 2 week treatment period, and during a 2 week follow up period, after the treatment has finished.
Interventions
Participants will attend 4 x 30-minute individual face-to-face intervention sessions over 2 weeks in a clinical environment. For ~15 minutes at the end of each intervention session, participants will use a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headset to view a 3-dimensional model of their upper limbs while in a virtual environment and, using a custom-designed software application, be able to manipulate the size, transparency, and colour of their (virtual) affected limb, according to their individual pre
Participants will attend 4 x 30-minute individual face-to-face intervention sessions over 2 weeks in a clinical environment. For ~15 minutes at the end of each intervention session, participants will use a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headset to view a 3-dimensional model of their upper limbs while in a virtual environment and, using a custom-designed software application, be able to manipulate the size, transparency, and colour of their (virtual) affected limb, according to their individual preferences. Once the appearance of the virtual limb has been adjusted to their satisfaction, participants will spend 5 minutes viewing and attending to the (visually altered) virtual limb under the guidance of a New Zealand registered specialist pain physiotherapist. During this time they will be asked by the physiotherapist to perform simple functional movements of their affected hand and/or arm, which will be reflected by the virtual limb (e.g. making a fist). These movements will be individually tailored for each participant by the physiotherapist. A session attendance checklist will be used to monitor adherence.
Sponsors
Auckland University of Technology
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Aged 18 or over 2. Pain intensity greater than or equal to 4/10 on average in the last week 3. Formal diagnosis of CRPS in one upper limb only as per Budapest clinical criteria
Exclusion criteria
1. Any co-morbidity that might affect CRPS symptoms (e.g. stroke, diabetes, fibromyalgia) 2. Inability to communicate in English 3. A history of severe motion sickness, epilepsy or (uncorrected) visual impairment
Outcome results
None listed