Effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Reality on Biomarkers and Clinical and Clinimetric Variables in Patients With Persistent Shoulder Pain

Brief Summary

Shoulder pain is one of the primary reasons for seeking physiotherapy care. The high prevalence of rotator cuff-related shoulder pain underscores the need for research into novel treatment approaches that may enhance the clinical outcomes of conventional physiotherapy interventions. Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) has been demonstrated to serve as an effective adjunct for pain management by providing distraction and altering patients' pain perception. Specifically, when used alongside exercise, IVR has been shown to induce hypoalgesia in individuals with chronic low back pain. Additionally, IVR is emerging as a promising tool to enhance motivation and improve adherence to rehabilitation protocols, which is critical for long-term treatment implementation and achieving positive outcomes. These findings suggest that virtual reality may provide an innovative approach to managing pain in patients with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, improving their pain experience, functionality, and quality of life. To date, no study has directly compared the effectiveness of combining IVR with standard physiotherapy treatments versus standard treatments alone on clinical variables, clinimetric measures, and biomarkers in individuals with persistent shoulder pain related to the rotator cuff. Therefore, conducting a randomized multicenter clinical trial on this subject, facilitated by international collaboration among RIU-affiliated universities, could provide a robust foundation for implementing new technologies such as virtual reality in pain management and advancing rehabilitation strategies. The objective of this project is as follows: To compare the effectiveness of combining immersive virtual reality with standard physiotherapy treatment versus standard treatment alone on clinical variables, clinimetric measures, and biomarkers in individuals with persistent rotator cuff-related shoulder pain.