Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Reduces the Disabling Impact of Fibromyalgia Syndrome in Women..., 2021, Cortés-Pérez et al

Full title: Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Reduces the Disabling Impact of Fibromyalgia Syndrome in Women: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Abstract

Background: Virtual reality-based therapy (VRBT) is a novel therapeutic approach to be used in women with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The aim of our study is to assess the effect of VRBT to reduce the impact of FMS in outcomes such as pain, dynamic balance, aerobic capacity, fatigue, quality of life (QoL), anxiety and depression.

Methods: Systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted from a bibliographic search in PubMed, Scopus, PEDro, Web of Science and CINAHL until April 2021 in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compare VRBT versus others to assess the mentioned outcomes in women with FMS. Effect size was calculated with standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Results: Eleven RCTs involving 535 women with FMS were included. Using the PEDro scale, the mean methodological quality of the included studies was moderate (6.63 ± 0.51). Our findings showed an effect of VRBT on the impact of FMS (SMD −0.62, 95% CI −0.93 to −0.31); pain (SMD −0.45, 95% CI −0.69 to −0.21); dynamic balance (SMD −0.76, 95% CI −1.12 to −0.39); aerobic capacity (SMD 0.32, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.63); fatigue (SMD −0.58, 95% CI −1.02 to −0.14); QoL (SMD 0.55, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.81); anxiety (SMD −0.47, 95% CI −0.91 to −0.03) and depression (SMD −0.46, 95% CI −0.76 to −0.16).

Conclusions: VRBT is an effective therapy that reduces the impact of FMS, pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression and increases dynamic balance, aerobic capacity and quality of life in women with FMS. In addition, VRBT in combination with CTBTE showed a large effect in reducing the impact of FMS and fatigue and increasing QoL in these women.

Open access, https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/11/11/1167/htm

 

It says that they would like to say that a load of researchers have said that lots of patients have said they got better after having a treatment that encouraged them to say they are better.

More proof that patients will say they are better if they are told to.

 

The "therapies" appear to be a mish-mash of many different things with no other relation than being delivered using VR. What should it matter how a bunch of disparate stuff is delivered if they're all different? It's nonsense to say that VR therapy is a therapy anymore than it differs doing it on a boat vs on land.

Basically it's like assessing "water-based solutions" for their effectiveness. Their substance? Irrelevant.

 

So what is the environment that is being virtualised for patients? What is it about the different environment that is deemed beneficial?

 

I am very much looking forward to the long form book version of this analysis.

 

Well, you said it.

 

So when they get sick of us taking up space in their medical offices, they'll banish us to the metaverse?

 

when the medical profession wake up to the fact that multiple people are doing their best to put doctors and nurses etc out of a job . will there be an uproar marches about piss poor evidence and wilful fraud . or will they simply disappear into early retirement .

 

In the UK standard policy is to promote them and give them ever increasing power and budgets.

This (entrenched stupidity) is traditional and has worked fantastically in many fields in the past.

 

As has been said elsewhere in the past, obsessive career ladder climbers tend to get promoted until they reach their level of incompetence, but rarely ever get demoted back down again.

 

Me too

(Edited to add the forum smiley instead of my iPad one which vanished…)