OBJECTIVES

To assess whether tai chi assisted by the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE), a novel virtual reality (VR) technology, was superior to tai chi alone in managing chronic pain in older adults. CAVE may offer a promising alternative to head-mounted displays in chronic pain treatment.

DESIGN

The study was a 12-week, 2-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial implemented in VR and non-VR groups (N = 80, each arm = 40). The VR group underwent an 8-week tai chi program in a 3-wall VR-CAVE with projections of nature scenes and music, whereas the control group received tai chi only.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Community-dwelling older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain were randomized (1:1) to VR and non-VR groups.

MEASURES

Participants were assessed at baseline, posttreatment at 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the Brief Pain Inventory severity score at 8 weeks, modeled within an intention-to-treat framework using generalized estimating equations.

RESULTS

Participants had a mean age of 65.1 ± 5.6 years, with 78.8% female and mean BPI-pain severity score of 4.4 ± 1.5. At 8 weeks, the VR group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in BPI severity score compared with the non-VR group (β = -0.75, 95% CI -1.48 to -0.03, P = .043), with the effect sustained to 12 weeks (β = -1.18, 95% CI -1.90 to -0.46, P = .001). No major adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

VR-CAVE tai chi was superior to non-VR tai chi for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Future trials that are longer-term, larger in scale, and include other forms of exercise will further inform VR-CAVE's role in post-acute and long-term rehabilitation.