• Pain Med · Oct 2024

    Randomized Controlled Trial

    Effects of motor imagery using virtual reality on pain sensitivity and affect in healthy individuals: A prospective randomized crossover study.

    • Yuto Niwa, Kazuhiro Shimo, Satoshi Ohga, Takafumi Hattori, Ayaka Dokita, and Takako Matsubara.
    • Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University Graduate School, Kobe, Hyogo 651-2180, Japan.
    • Pain Med. 2024 Oct 1; 25 (10): 612619612-619.

    ObjectiveExercise induces a hypoalgesic response and improves affect. However, some individuals are unable to exercise for various reasons. Motor imagery, involving kinesthetic and visual imagery without physical movement, activates brain regions associated with these benefits and could be an alternative for those unable to exercise. Virtual reality also enhances motor imagery performance because of its illusion and embodiment. Therefore, we examined the effects of motor imagery combined with virtual reality on pain sensitivity and affect in healthy individuals.DesignRandomized crossover study.SettingLaboratory.SubjectsThirty-six participants (women: 18) were included.MethodsEach participant completed three 10-min experimental sessions, comprising actual exercise, motor imagery only, and motor imagery combined with virtual reality. Hypoalgesic responses and affective improvement were assessed using the pressure-pain threshold and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, respectively.ResultsAll interventions significantly increased the pressure-pain threshold at the thigh (P < .001). Motor imagery combined with virtual reality increased the pressure-pain threshold more than motor imagery alone, but the threshold was similar to that of actual exercise (both P ≥ .05). All interventions significantly decreased the negative affect of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (all P < .05).ConclusionsMotor imagery combined with virtual reality exerted hypoalgesic and affective-improvement effects similar to those of actual exercise.Clinical Trials RegistrationThe study was enrolled in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (registration number: UMIN000046095). The website for registration information is https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000052614.© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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