Physiotherapists and Virtual Reality: A New Way to Treat Pain?

Physiotherapists in the UK are exploring new ways to help people with muscle and bone pain. One of these new methods is virtual reality (VR). A small study asked physiotherapists about their thoughts on using VR for treatment. Most of the physiotherapists surveyed had little knowledge about VR. Many had only used it for fun, like playing games. Few had used it for work or research. But even with this lack of experience, nearly half said they would like to use VR for treating muscle and bone pain. The main concerns were the cost of buying and maintaining VR equipment and the lack of familiarity with the technology. Despite these barriers, many physiotherapists think patients would be open to trying VR for their treatment. This study was just a small look into the topic. More research is needed to understand how VR can be used in physiotherapy. The results show that while there are challenges, there is also interest in using VR for better patient care.