Virtual Reality: A New Tool for Richmond Back Pain Recovery
THE SCIENCE BEHIND VR AND PAIN RELIEF
New groundbreaking research published in Scientific Reports has shown that virtual reality can literally change what your brain does with pain signals. Patients with chronic low back pain who used VR systems with visual feedback experienced changes in how they perceived pain during movement. (1) This is not just distraction – your brain is changing how it responds to movements that usually trigger discomfort.
VR helps by changing the visual information you receive, creating a difference between what you see and feel that allows your nervous system to develop pain-free ways of moving. This innovative finding suggests that VR can help interrupt the cycle of pain-avoidance that often keeps Richmond back pain sufferers from getting the exercise that can help them.
TARGETING YOUR DEEP SPINAL MUSCLES
Strengthening the lumbar erector spinae presents a major challenge in back pain recovery – the deep muscles that run along your spine and provide crucial stability. These muscles often become weak and poorly coordinated in people with chronic back pain, creating an ongoing cycle of instability and additional pain.
Recent research published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology points out that these muscles show different fatigue patterns and spatial distribution alterations in older adults compared to younger persons, highlighting the importance of age-appropriate, targeted training. (2) VR systems can offer instant feedback about muscle activation, teaching you how to effectively engage these deep stabilizing muscles that are typically challenging to feel and manage.
THE FUTURE OF REHABILITATION
Virtual reality creates an opportunity to merge pain science with engaging, interactive exercise. By offering real-time visual feedback about your movement patterns and muscle activation, VR can help you improve your body's natural movement patterns while making the process more engaging and effective.
Ask your Richmond chiropractor at Johnson Chiropractic about incorporating VR-based exercises into your treatment plan – it could be an important step toward lasting back pain relief.
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