Immediate and Short-Term Effects of Nature-Based Immersive Virtual Reality During Dry Needling: A Single-Blinded...

Area of Science:

• Physiotherapy
• Pain Management
• Virtual Reality in Healthcare

Background:

• Dry needling (DN) is an invasive physiotherapy technique often associated with procedural pain.
• Managing pain during invasive procedures is crucial for patient comfort and adherence.
• Immersive virtual reality (IVR) offers a non-pharmacological approach to pain distraction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of nature-based immersive virtual reality (IVR) combined with dry needling (DN).
• To compare immediate and short-term pain outcomes between DN alone and DN with IVR.
• To assess the impact on pain intensity and pressure pain threshold (PPT).

Main Methods:

• A single-blinded randomized controlled trial involving 40 healthy participants with myofascial trigger points in the quadriceps.
• Participants were randomized to either traditional DN or DN combined with nature-based IVR.
• Pain intensity (Numerical Rating Scale) and PPT were measured immediately post-intervention and at 1, 6, and 24 hours.

Main Results:

• The DN + IVR group reported significantly lower immediate post-intervention pain intensity compared to the DN group (p=0.032).
• Pain intensity decreased over time in both groups (p < 0.001), with no significant differences between groups at later time points.
• A significant effect of time was observed for PPT (p < 0.001), but no significant group-by-time interaction.

Conclusions:

• Nature-based IVR can effectively reduce immediate procedural pain during dry needling.
• The pain-reducing effects of IVR during DN are not sustained beyond the immediate post-intervention period.
• IVR presents a promising non-pharmacological adjunct for pain management in invasive physical therapy.