El uso de la realidad virtual y la realidad ausmentada en el trtamiento del dolor crónico en adultos: una reunión sistemática.

Abstract

Chronic pain is a major health problem globally. It is often defined by the duration of pain, which may take weeks, months or even years to persist. The original cause of this pain may be due to an injury or an infection. There may be a continuing cause of pain, as it would be in the case of arthritis or cancer. There are other cases in which the cause is not clear. In addition, there is a possibility that it will be worsened due to environmental and psychological factors. It is a disease that generates high economic costs and quality of life. The prevalence of this disease is 31%, it should also be noted that the rates are higher among women than among men; as well as, that women are twice as likely to report pain as men. Regarding specific pain conditions, the following prevalences stand out: 6-9% for chronic upper and lower lumbar pain, 5% for chronic neck pain, 13% for wide pain without fatigue, 6% , 7% for extensive pain with fatigue and 2.9% for fibromyalgia. In terms of treatments that stand out when treating this disease, there are two types: those treatments that use analgesics and medical treatments that do not use them. In the latter stand out above all acupuncture, physical therapy or surgery, among others. In addition, today those treatments focused on the use of new technologies are booming. Among these, especially those that use virtual reality and augmented reality stand out. In the field of treatments focused on the use of these last two, nowadays they are used in combination with other types of treatments. However, it is expected that they can be used as individual treatments and that their use be normalized.