Slashdot Mirror
VR Snow Game Functions As Pain Management
eldavojohn writes "Burn victims — especially soldiers from war — have been proven to deal with therapy and pain better when immersed in a calm, cold virtual world. The game Snow World lets players hit targets with snowballs in a winter wonderland. The results of the study show unarguably that victims handle treatment and healing much better when their mind, eyes & ears are occupied — mind over matter, indeed."
I wonder if the snowy setting really makes that much of a difference, or if the main thing is that the mind is occupied with something other than pain. No mention in TFA of other test VR games.
It's not just that. It's something to focus on. I've recently spent 6 weeks in a below knee cast (broken ankle). When the itch just got unbearable, I would go play the piano, or whip out my cellphone and go play Tetris. Just by doing something that required my focus and attention let me ignore the itch long enough till it went away. Similarly (ironically in a way?) you can have the same approach to dealing with really cold stuff (like ice bathing your ankle). If you have something that you're familiar with and can get your mind into, getting over the initial painful stage (before the numbing kicks in) of an ice bath (or just general icing) becomes so much easier.
Must be a slow news cycle. "Snow World" and its use in burn therapy was covered in WIRED over 7 years ago? See: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2001/03/42084