RESEARCH PROGRESS OF VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY IN POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT

Post-surgical pain is commonly experienced by patients, and traditional pain medication has limitations and side effects. Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated technology that simulates realistic environments, which distracts the patient’s attention and emotions, reduces pain, and improves rehabilitation by creating an immersive experience. The increasing affordability and quality of portable VR headsets, as well as the increasing utility of pain management, bode well for the exciting future of using VR for analgesia. VR was found to be effective as a complementary adjunct or alternative nonpharmacological analgesic to a range of acute and chronic pain treatments. The application of VR to post-surgical pain management can significantly reduce patients’ dependence on medications, as well as decrease the intensity and duration of pain. In this paper, a thorough literature review was conducted to systematically evaluate the use of VR in post-surgical pain management.