logo
logo
  • Online Library
    • Projects
    • Companies
  • Congress
    • Programme
    • Speakers
    • Committees
    • Tickets
    • General information
    • Sponsors
    • Poster Presentation Guidelines
  • Members
    • Catch a Rising Star
    • Student Exchange
    • Community Request
  • News
    • XR4REHAB Community Request
    • Newsletter Advertisement
    • Events Calendar
  • Webinars
    • Co-production of a Virtual Reality Game for MS patients
    • Seize the Moment: XR Transforming Neuro Rehab!
    • The use of VR in acute orthopaedic trauma: challenges and opportunities
    • Implementation of Neuro Rehabilitation OnLine
    • Medical Device Regulation Webinar
    • VR4LongCovid Session
    • VR4LongCovid: The breathtaking results
  • Podcasts
  • Forum
  • About us
    • Website
    • Partners
    • Blueprint
    • Contact
  1. Home
  2. VR4REHAB-011

Project idea: VRforLOWBACKPAIN

L.Beijer(1,3), Maikel Trommelen(2), Bart Kral(2), Niki Stolwijk(3), Wienand Remkes(3),Vincent Bastiaans(3), Marjo
Maas(3), Sebastiaan van Pinxteren(4), Eric Jutten(5), Marijn Huijbregts(6)

(1)Department of Innovation, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, the Netherlands,
(2) RealHealth Institute, Berg en Dal, the
Netherlands,
(3)HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands,
(4)BKC Media, Nijmegen, the Netherlands,
(5)The Simulation Crew, Nijmegen, the Netherlands,
(6)SpraakLab, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Introduction
Globally, low back pain (LBP) is a common symptom across all age groups. Years lived with disability caused by LBP increased by 54% between 1990 and 2015, due to a growing and ageing population1,2.
Annually, 2000 patients with LBP are referred to the Sint Maartenskliniek near Nijmegen, a hospital specialized in care for posture and movement. About 65% of these patients is referred back to home or primary care since no indication for specialized medical care is established. Only 5% is subjected to surgery, 10 % receives invasive pain treatment and about 20% is referred to the pain management program provided by RealHealthNL and.
The RealHealth program entails an evidence-based combined physical and psychological program (CPP) in a two-weeks intensive residential setting for patients with invalidating LBP 3,4 This is built on the belief that LBP is a complex condition with multiple contributors to both the pain and associated disability, including psychological factors, social factors, biophysical factors, comorbidities, and painprocessing mechanisms.
The multidisciplinary expert team of the RealHealth program believes that the majority of LBP patients who are referred back from the SMK to primary care, would benefit from a shift towards self management rather than persistent dependence on healthcare. For this reason, in collaboration with BKC Media Inc., HAN University of Applied Sciences and primary care physiotherapists, they developed
the interactive Backing App, which supports health professionals in asynchronic blended coaching of patients towards self management of daily functioning with LBP. A personalized approach is warranted
by a cyclical procedure and motivational interviewing embedded in the app-design. Unfortunately, upscaling of this blended coaching of patients currently depends heavily on availability of health
professionals.

Project idea
The proposed VR-project aims for upscaled, improved blended personalized coaching and patients’ therapy adherence by the development of 1) a VR coach for a cognitive behavioral approach for low
back pain, built on motivational interviewing combined with VR technology5
, AI and Speech and Language Technology (SLT)6 , 2) an educational VR-tool for health professionals to train key therapeutical skills (e.g. motivational interviewing) underpinning the cognitive behavioral approach employed by RealHealth.

Methods
1) A VR coach will be developed by participatory action research, built on an iterative process between developers (VR, AI and SLT), LBP professionals and LBP patients
2) An educational VR tool will be developed by participatory action research, built on an iterative process between developers (VR, AI and SLT), health professionals and educational professionals ResultsFeasibility of the VR coach will be evaluated by outcome measures for both patients’ and professionals’ experience.
Feasibility for the educational VR tool will be evaluated by outcome measures for educational achievements.

 

References
[1] Buchbinder R et al. (2018). Low Back Pain. A call for action. The Lancet. Published online March
21, 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30488-4
[2] Hartvigsen J et al. (2018). What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. The Lancet.
Published online March 21, 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30480-X
[3] van Hooff ML et al. (2012). A short, intensive cognitive behavioral pain management program
reduces health-care use in patients with chronic low back pain: two-year follow-up results of a
prospective cohort. Eur Spine J, 21(7): 1257-64.
[4] Groot D et al. (2019). Long-term results of an intensive cognitive behavioral pain management
program for patients with chronic low back pain: a concise report of an extended cohort
with a minimum of 5-year follow-up. European Spine Journal, 28:1579-1585
[5] Alemanno F et al. (2019). Efficacy of virtual reality to reduce chronic low back pain: Proof-ofconcept of a non-pharmacological approach on pain, quality of life, neuropsychological and functional
outcome. PLoS One, 14(5): e0216858. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216858.
[6] Postma M et al. (2019). Hoe taal- en spraaktechnologie de zorg voor patiënten met lage rugpijn
verbetert. DIXIT tijdschrift voor taal- en spraaktechnologie, themanummer Gezondheid en Zorg: 5-7.

Navigation

Publications

News

Congress

Partners

About

Contact

Event 2025

Program

Guest speakers

Tickets

More information

Partners

EuroXR

Games Solutions Lab

Sint Maartenskliniek

Teesside University

All partners

Tickets available

Tickets for the XR4REHAB Conference 2025 are available now!

Get tickets

© 2025 XR4REHAB

Privacy Policy

Event 2025

Program

Guest speakers

Tickets

More information

Tickets available

Tickets for our 2023 XR4REHAB congress are available now!

Tickets

© 2023 XR4REHAB

Privacy Policy

We use cookies

XR4REHAB uses cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience and to measure your interactions with our websites, products and services. If you're okay with that, click "Accept". To restrict data sharing, click on "Cookie settings". You can always change your settings. See our privacy policy for our privacy statement and cookie policy.
Cookie settings
Accept

Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Stay connected

Want to make sure you have the latest information about VR4REHAB? Subscribe to our newsletter.

Enter your email address