The medical sector can benefit quite a bit from virtual reality technology. Numerous medical applications for this technology are currently being explored. That in itself brings some much-needed excitement to this particular industry. One Israeli company now sees merit in helping patients deal with chronic pains through VR environments. An interesting approach, although further research will be needed.
Addressing Chronic Pain With VR
The main selling point of virtual reality is how it can take viewers to a completely different environment. This technology plays tricks on the human brain to make it believe the reality is very different. This leads to many potential use cases for this technology as a whole. One option worth exploring coming in the form of medical research. More specifically, helping patients deal with chronic pain.
According to VR Health, a company in Israel, there are many options worth exploring in this regard. The startup is founded by an air force pilot who managed to recover faster due to VR technology. Although the experiment was successful for him, that doesn’t mean it will work for everyone else. As such, the research is still ongoing to determine the potential viability of this particular approach.
As is usually the case with research like this, trial and error are pertinent. Drawing the wrong conclusions can have major repercussions in the research and its potential viability along the way. So far, the initial results appear to be rather promising. While VR technology can help patients cope with pain, the long-term effects of exposing the human brain to virtual reality remain rather unclear at this time.
It is not the first time medical applications and virtual reality technology come together. Slowly but surely, more and more of these opportunities are being explored. That in itself is rather interesting to keep an eye on moving forward. Until some major breakthrough occurs, however, one has to wonder if there is an actual future for VR. To date, that remains unclear.
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