Study finds virtual reality exercises could help ease back pain

BOSTON - Virtual reality exercises could help ease back pain.

In a study published in the Archives of Physiotherapy, researchers studied 82 clients with low back pain and/or neck pain who received exercise therapy delivered solely in the metaverse using virtual reality. They found that the treatment was both safe and effective at improving disability from both low back and neck pain.

They say allowing patients to receive effective therapy remotely, in the comfort of their own homes, can reduce cost, reduce environmental pollution, and free up space for patients who need in-person treatments.

Some of the researchers involved in the study work for XR Health, a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in virtual reality exercise therapy.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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