Study to use virtual reality to find real solution to phantom pain
FREDERICTON — Imagine losing a limb. Now imagine suffering from pain that feels like it’s coming from the limb that is no longer there.
That’s the case for up to 70 per cent of amputees.
Researchers at the University of New Brunswick are trying to determine whether the use of virtual reality can help reduce the brain signals that cause phantom pain.
“In the brain, we need to realign what’s happening with the sensations that the user is feeling with their perception of their limb,” said Jon Sensinger, associate director of UNB’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering.