Virtual Reality for Pain and Well-Being in Older Adults

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Chronic Pain, Kinesiophobia (Fear of Movement)

In brief

Chronic pain is common among adults aged 65 and older and can reduce mobility, independence, mood, and quality of life. Many older adults also develop a fear of movement because they worry that physical activity will increase their pain or cause injury. This fear can lead to reduced activity, physical deconditioning, and further loss of independence. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of Moving Without Fear or Pain, a program combining structured pain education (Empowered Relief) with immersive virtual reality rehabilitation to gradually reintroduce movement in a safe and engaging way. Empowered Relief is a single-session, two-hour online pain education class delivered by a trained health professional. It explains how chronic pain affects the brain and nervous system and teaches strategies to calm the nervous system, manage pain flare-ups, reduce pain-related worry and catastrophizing, and increase confidence in movement and daily activities. The virtual reality intervention includes up to eight individualized sessions over approximately one month. Sessions last 5 to 30 minutes and are supervised by a trained clinician. Participants wear a virtual reality headset and are immersed in calming or engaging environments, such as nature settings. Depending on their comfort and abilities, sessions may begin with passive guided motor imagery and progress to active movement within interactive virtual environments. Some applications allow participants to control movement in the virtual world through gentle physical activity, such as stepping or upper-body movement. The intervention is personalized to each participant's physical capacity, preferences, and rehabilitation goals. The aim is to reduce fear of movement, increase confidence, and promote safe re-engagement in physical activity. In this pilot randomized controlled trial, 24 older adults with chronic pain will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) Experimental Group: Participants will receive the Empowered Relief pain education course, usual care, and up to eight immersive virtual reality rehabilitation sessions. 2) Control Group: Participants will receive the Empowered Relief pain education course and usual care, without virtual reality sessions. The findings will inform a larger future study.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07607899

Run by

Laval University

People needed

24

Starts

2026-06-01

Expected to finish

2027-03-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-16

Who can join

Age: 65 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 65 years or older
• Able to understand and communicate in French
• Chronic pain lasting 6 months or longer
• Average pain intensity of 3 or greater on a 0-10 Numeric Rating Scale during the week prior to enrollment
• Score greater than 25 on the 11-item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-11)
• No neurocognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] ≥ 24), or mild neurocognitive impairment (MMSE 18-24) with preserved capacity to consent (University of California Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent [UBACC] score ≥ 12)
• Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity

You may not qualify if…

• Severe motion sickness or intolerance that would prevent safe use of a virtual reality headset (experimental group only)
• Medical condition that would prevent safe participation in rehabilitation activities
• Presence of open wounds or infection at painful or contralateral sites

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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