Kevin Walsh is one of a number of patients now using virtual reality to help with pain management.
“It’s a means to pull people’s attention away from very painful procedures,” Dr. David Patterson said.
Dr. Patterson helped pioneer the virtual reality technique, which helps to distract the brain.
“The areas of the brain that light up with pain light up less and they’re just not processing as much,” he explained.
Patterson uses a game called “Snow World,” and with VR goggles, patients hit targets with snowballs during painful medical procedures.
“Overall, we’re seeing 35-percent reductions in pain, where you see somebody’s pain drop from severe to moderate,” Dr. Hunter Hoffman said.
