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What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality (VR) describes a three-dimensional, computer-generated environment where a person can interact and explore. Similarly, augmented reality (AR) modifies a real-life environment, perhaps with visual elements, sound, or other sensory stimuli. We are probably most familiar with VR in the form of gaming headsets, but what are the therapeutic benefits of virtual reality for CRPS?
See also: Treatments for CRPS
Therapeutic benefits of virtual reality for CRPS
The therapeutic benefits of AR and VR and its almost accidental discovery through video gaming are well known. Indeed, check out this article by video game journalist Ben Parfitt. Ben’s wife, Libby, who I know, has suffered from CRPS for many years. In the article, she describes her positive experience using one of the very early Vive headsets in 2016.
Since then, immersive AR/VR technology has become increasingly available to help those suffering from chronic pain, including CRPS. For example, in 2019, grant funding enabled the School of Computing at Birmingham City University to investigate the opportunities for AR/VR to support people with disabilities.
How does virtual reality help with CRPS?
One game developed by the Birmingham team benefits those with CRPS through ‘mirror therapy’. The person visualises their affected limb as healthy and fully functional, decreasing the pain signals to the brain.
The game is simple, involving throwing coloured balls into matching squares. But it’s designed to be fun and played with family and friends to encourage the patient to continue the therapy longer term.
However, VR also provides an immersive experience, absorbing more of the brain’s attention and leaving fewer of the user’s mental resources to process pain signals. As a result, people often perceive less pain whilst using a VR system.
Can I include the cost of VR in my compensation claim?
Whatever the nature of the treatment or therapy, if the medical evidence supports its benefit, there’s no reason in principle why you shouldn’t include the cost in your claim. And that includes VR. Of course, including it in your claim does not guarantee that you will recover the cost. But not including it means you certainly won’t!
An argument I’ve experienced is that VR is not curative, and so the cost should not be recoverable. However, even if the technology provides only a brief respite from the unremitting pain of CRPS, it can still make a considerable difference to a person’s quality of life. Therefore, I believe the cost is perfectly reasonable.