Last reviewed: November 2026. This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to a qualified clinician about any treatment decision.
Virtual reality (VR) is used for pain in two quite different ways: to teach people skills for living with chronic pain, and to distract patients during short, painful procedures. The evidence for the two is not equally strong.
Key takeaways
- Chronic lower back pain: one prescription VR program has FDA authorization, based on a randomized trial of 179 people.
- Procedures in children: a Cochrane review found the benefit of VR distraction uncertain, with low to very low certainty evidence.
- Side effects: usually mild, mainly headset discomfort and motion sickness.
- Role: VR is studied as an addition to other pain treatment, not a replacement for it.
In this guide
How VR is thought to help with pain
- Distraction. An immersive scene competes for attention, leaving less of it for pain signals. This is the idea behind using VR during needle procedures and wound care.
- Skills training. Programs for chronic pain use VR to teach techniques drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, such as paced breathing, relaxation and shifting attention, which the person then practices over several weeks.
Chronic pain
The clearest example is EaseVRx (now sold as RelieVRx), which the FDA authorized in November 2021 as a prescription program for adults with chronic lower back pain. It is used at home: 56 sessions of between 2 and 16 minutes, spread over eight weeks.
The decision rested on a randomized, double-blinded trial of 179 people. Those using the full program were compared with a control group using a flat, two-dimensional program without the skills content. At the end of treatment, 66% of the VR group reported a pain reduction of more than 30%, compared with 41% of the control group (HCPLive summary of the FDA decision).
Two points keep this in proportion. The authorization covers one condition, chronic lower back pain, not chronic pain in general. And the FDA described the program as an option to use alongside other treatments.
Painful procedures
Hospitals have tried VR headsets to distract patients, especially children, during blood draws, injections and burn dressing changes. It is an appealing idea, but the best summary of the research is cautious.
A Cochrane review of VR distraction for acute pain in children concluded that it is unclear whether VR makes a difference. Some individual studies found a benefit over no distraction or over ordinary distraction such as toys; at least one found VR no better. Most outcomes were measured in only two or three small studies, so the reviewers rated the evidence as low to very low certainty and called for large, well-designed trials. The review’s evidence is current to October 2019, and more studies have been published since.
Side effects and limits
- Discomfort and nausea: in the back pain trial, about one in five participants reported discomfort with the headset and roughly one in ten reported motion sickness or nausea. No serious adverse events were reported.
- Not every product is a medical device: many relaxation apps on consumer headsets have never been reviewed by a regulator. The FDA keeps a public list of authorized AR and VR devices.
- Durability: follow-up in most trials is measured in months, so long-term benefit is less well established.
Questions to ask
- Is this VR program authorized for my type of pain?
- How does it fit with the treatment I already have?
- What should I do if the headset makes me feel unwell?
For the wider picture, see our guide to virtual reality in healthcare.
Common questions
Does virtual reality work for chronic pain?
One prescription VR program has FDA authorization for chronic lower back pain in adults. In the trial behind it, 66% of users reported a pain reduction of more than 30%, compared with 41% in the control group. It is meant to be used alongside other treatment.
Does VR help children during needles and other procedures?
It is uncertain. A Cochrane review found low to very low certainty evidence that VR distraction reduces pain in children, and called for larger trials.
What are the side effects of VR for pain?
Usually mild. In the back pain trial, about one in five participants reported headset discomfort and about one in ten reported motion sickness or nausea. No serious adverse events were reported.
Sources
- HCPLive. FDA Approves Virtual Reality Platform for Chronic Pain Reduction, November 2021.
- Lambert V, et al. Virtual reality distraction for acute pain in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Medical Devices.
