When a spinal cord injury occurs, the spinal somatosensory circuit is thought to generate aberrant nociceptive impulses that the brain interprets as pain. Neuropathic pain (NP) affects 40 to 70% of people with SCI and is a very disabling clinical condition. Many treatment options have been offered, but provide limited effects, leaving people with SCI with a reduced quality of life. The study team believes that Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) neurorehabilitation has the potential to be an effective treatment for chronic neuropathic pain. For this reason, the objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a virtual reality device to decrease chronic neuropathic pain in individuals with spinal cord injury.
The aim of this study is to provide critical information about the efficacy of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) to decrease the experience of neuropathic pain in the upper and lower extremities of people with a spinal cord injury.