Non-Immersive, Virtual Reality Mirror Visual Feedback for Treatment of Persistent Idiopathic Facial Pain

Abstract

Dear Editor, This letter describes a preliminary proof-of-concept test of a novel, non-invasive, virtual reality mirror visual feedback (VRMVF) therapy for persistent idiopathic facial pain. Persistent idiopathic face pain (PIFP) shares some characteristics with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type 1: The pain develops after a relatively minor noxious event; is not associated with a specific nerve injury; and results in constant, severe, and often disabling pain. Patients with both conditions may develop allodynia and/or thermal sensitivity, and may limit movement of the affected part to minimize pain. Mirror visualization feedback (MVF) is one approach used for CRPS that might also prove useful in treating PIFP. In 1996, Ramachandran discovered that MVF therapy might mitigate phantom limb pain in amputees [1]. Attempts to expand on this use of MVF have included efforts to treat phantom limb pain, fibromyalgia [2] CRPS [3] and facial pain [4] both in the original format and using virtual reality (VR) [5–7]. We theorized that the similarities between CRPS and PIFP might make a MVF therapy that relies on painless touch effective in treating PIFP as well. In our method, a digital model (or “avatar”) represents the patients head and neck, with the computer screen serving as the “mirror.” This method would allow the …