Nature as a Buffer Among People With Chronic Pain

Cornell University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Pain

Treatments: Other: Built Environment; Other: Natural Environment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03153891

1703006971

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomized controlled trial examines the effect of nature exposure on pain intensity levels among older adults who experience chronic pain. Investigators examine the effects of nature on: the experience of chronic pain, on pain catastrophizing, and on attention restoration.

Full description

Nature has been used to reduce pain in the context of acute pain (e.g., during painful medical procedures) but nature has not been examined as an intervention strategy to address chronic pain. Second, the mechanism though which nature might reduce the experience of pain is not well understood. Participants are cognitively intact individuals aged 60-90 who experience chronic pain and who rate their health as fair, good or excellent. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three conditions: virtual reality (VR) nature; VR built environment; or control. Researchers examine effects of VR nature exposure on the experience of chronic pain, pain catastrophizing, and on attention restoration as well as the relations among these variables.

Enrollment: 23 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• rate health as "fair" "good" or "excellent"
• experience chronic pain
• cognitively intact
• do not use wheelchair

Exclusion Criteria:

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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23 participants in 3 patient groups

Natural Environment

Experimental group

Description:

Participants experience a virtual reality natural environment intervention (using VR goggles with Smartphone) for 10 minutes on two occasions, 1 week apart.

Treatment:

Other: Natural Environment

Built Environment

Experimental group

Description:

Participants experience a virtual reality built environment intervention (using VR goggles with Smartphone) for 10 minutes on two occasions, 1 week apart.

Treatment:

Other: Built Environment

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants do not experience a VR intervention. Instead they visit with research assistants for 10 minutes on two occasions, 1 week apart.