Revolutionary Digital Therapeutics Transform Chronic Pain Treatment in Astoria Through FDA-Approved Virtual Reality Programs
Chronic pain affects millions of Americans, with traditional treatment options often falling short of providing lasting relief. However, a groundbreaking revolution in pain management has emerged through digital therapeutics (DTx), with over 20 products receiving FDA approval/clearance and transforming how patients manage persistent pain conditions.
Understanding Digital Therapeutics for Pain Management
Digital therapeutics are defined as “evidence-based therapeutic interventions driven by high-quality software programs to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease” by the Digital Therapeutics Alliance. These are evidence-based software programs designed to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disease or disorder, functioning as therapeutic interventions that deliver clinically validated treatments directly through digital platforms such as mobile applications, wearable devices, or online programs.
What sets digital therapeutics apart from typical health apps is their rigorous clinical validation and regulatory approval process. FDA approval for digital therapeutics provides assurance of a product’s safety, efficacy, and quality, demonstrating that their benefits outweigh their risks for their intended use. This regulatory oversight ensures patients receive legitimate medical treatments, not just wellness applications.
FDA-Approved Virtual Reality for Chronic Pain: RelieVRx
One of the most significant breakthroughs in digital pain management is RelieVRx (formerly EaseVRx), the first and only FDA-authorized at-home immersive virtual reality (VR) pain treatment indicated as adjunctive treatment for chronic lower back pain (CLBP). This innovative system represents a paradigm shift in how chronic pain is treated.
RelieVRx offers an immersive eight-week virtual reality experience that helps patients adjust their cognitive, emotional and physical responses to chronic pain. The system delivers automated cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other behavioral methods through VR content that incorporates diaphragmatic breathing exercises and mindfulness strategies, intended to be self-administered, unsupervised in the patient’s home while seated.
Clinical results have been impressive. In clinical trials, 66% of those who watched VR programs reported at least a 30% reduction in pain, compared to 41% of participants in the sham control group, with nearly half of those in the EaseVRx group reporting at least a 50% reduction in lower back pain. Studies found that VR therapy has long-lasting benefits up to six months after treatment stopped.
The Technology Behind Digital Pain Management
DTx employ technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics and understanding of behavioral psychology to offer a new way for disease treatment, management, and prevention. The software often collects data on patient engagement, progress, and physiological metrics, providing real-time feedback to both the patient and their healthcare provider, allowing for personalized adjustments to the intervention and helping track treatment adherence and outcomes.
For chronic pain specifically, DTx can be useful in various ways in pain medicine, first enabling collection of real-time pain data, which could provide valuable information to physicians as well as patients. DTx may play a role in pain education programs, allowing patients to have the right knowledge of their pain, which can motivate them to actively participate in effective treatments, with recent studies showing that pain management education programs using smartphone-based applications reduced severity of pain and improved social functioning in adolescents with chronic pain.
Comprehensive Pain Management in Astoria
For residents of Astoria seeking comprehensive pain management solutions, NY Spine Medicine operates with the core belief that surgery should be a last resort for treatment of pain, exhausting all possible medical options to help patients recover from their pain as safely and as painlessly as possible through a holistic approach that encompasses minimally invasive procedures to relieve pain, promote healing, and prevent future injury.
Located at 18 E 48th St Ste 901 New York, NY 10017, NY Spine Medicine is dedicated to the treatment of pain and spine conditions and utilizes the most advanced technology and treatment options available in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility, where from the moment you enter the clinic, you will feel the compassion, respect, and caring professionalism of the staff.
Patients seeking advanced Medical Pain Management services can benefit from the practice’s comprehensive approach. At NY Spine Medicine, they believe in personalized care, taking time to listen to concerns, understand goals, and develop customized treatment plans that address specific needs through a multidisciplinary approach that combines the expertise of pain management specialists, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
The Future of Digital Pain Management
RelieVRx has been incorporated into federal health programs, including the Veterans Health Administration, as a self-guided, eight-week, in-home virtual reality program where patients can participate in VR sessions that use cognitive behavioral therapy to treat pain. The system has received a unique Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPSC) Level II code from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for reimbursement, indicating growing insurance coverage acceptance.
The FDA has approved and cleared several digital therapeutics for the treatment of diabetes (type 1 and 2), ADHD, asthma, COPD, chronic low back pain, chronic insomnia, substance use disorder and opioid use disorder, showing the expanding scope of these technologies.
Accessing Digital Therapeutics
Digital therapy is prescribed by a doctor as part of a more comprehensive treatment plan, with the clinician monitoring patient progress over time to ensure that the therapy is working, such as prescribing digital therapy to help a patient manage chronic pain while monitoring symptoms over time to adjust treatment plans.
Digital Therapeutics are regulated by the FDA similar to medical devices—specifically a new class of Software as Medical Device (SaMD), with only FDA approved digital therapeutics able to be prescribed to patients and reimbursed by insurance similar to a medical appointment or medication.
For Astoria residents dealing with chronic pain, the integration of FDA-approved digital therapeutics with traditional pain management approaches offers new hope for effective, evidence-based treatment. NY Spine Medicine takes a holistic approach to pain management, addressing not only the physical aspects of pain but also the emotional and psychological factors that may be contributing to symptoms, understanding the importance of treating the whole person, not just the pain.
As digital therapeutics continue to evolve and gain FDA approval, patients in Astoria have access to cutting-edge treatment options that complement traditional medical care, offering new pathways to pain relief and improved quality of life.