Pain Isn’t as Painful Anymore

    Virtual reality can diminish the effects of pain. Current science has been able to aid those who are in chronic pain. According to Brent Bauser, an Orthopedic trauma surgeon at UW Medicine’s Harborview Medical Center,  VR eases his patient’s pain. For my boomer and/or Gen X audience, VR stands for Virtual Reality. This form of technology provides a distraction to these patients’ pain during operations.  Bauser used a game called Snowball for his patient.  The patient recalled his pain to be significantly higher without VR. While performing the same operation, with VR included, the patient noted how much his pain was reduced.  The patient notes that the distraction was a nice reliever and helped to diminish his pain.  

    This leads to the debatable question, should we consider using VR in more medical procedures? The answer is obviously yes, right? Well, there are some other side effects that we should be considering. Here are some negative side effects when using the VR for extended periods of time: Eye strain, headaches, cybersickness, and perceptuomotor after-effect. Although there are some negatives, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any positives! The use of more VR would mean less need for anesthesia and other pain medications. This can reduce risk of harming or affecting patients during operations. 

The modern medical world is truly inspiring, and it makes me feel so blessed to have these medical miracles. Pain is not as painful anymore! 

Source: Craig Cutler, National Geographic

 “Medical Miracle at St. Georges.” NHS Choices, NHS, 2021, https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/newsitem/vr-headsets-relaxing-patients-during-surgery-at-st-georges/