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Not yet recruiting NCT06833905

Combining Virtual Reality and Hypnosis to Alleviate Chronic Pain in Elderly Patients with Hand Arthritis

No phase Interventional Arthritis Arthritis/Arthrosis Arthritis, Rheumatoid Elderly

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Virtual reality: Beach, Virtual Reality: Forest, Hypnosis: Magic Hand, Hypnosis: Pain Manipulation.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Arthritis, Arthritis/Arthrosis, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Elderly. Basic parameters: 18 years — 100 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

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Official title

Combining Virtual Reality and Hypnosis to Alleviate Chronic Pain in Elderly Patients with Hand Arthritis: a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Overview

The goal of this pilot randomized clinical trial is to test the efficacy of an intervention combining virtual reality and hypnosis on decreasing pain and improving quality of life in elderly patients with hand arthritis. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the intervention allow for an improvement of patient reported outcomes related to pain and quality of life? * Does the intervention allow for an improvement of physiological variables related to pain? Researchers will compare intervention group to a passive control group (i.e., waiting list with treatment as usual). Participants in the intervention group will be provided a virtual reality headset allowing them to beneficiate from the virtual reality and hypnosis modules.

Interventions

  • Behavioral Virtual reality: Beach
    Session 1 or 2 (counterbalanced): Exposure to a beach landscape
  • Behavioral Virtual Reality: Forest
    Session 1 or 2 (counterbalanced): Exposure to a forest landscape
  • Behavioral Hypnosis: Magic Hand
    Session 3 or 4 (counterbalanced): Exposure to a hypnosis technique: the magic hand
  • Behavioral Hypnosis: Pain Manipulation
    Session 3 or 4 (counterbalanced): Exposure to a hypnosis technique: manipulating the pain
  • Behavioral Session 1bis - 1 week
    Repetition of the Session 1 one week after Session 4
  • Behavioral Follow-up
    Repetition of the Session 1 three weeks after Session 4

Primary outcome measures

  • Perceived pain [Time frame: Intervention group: Two times per week (before and after each session)/Control group: One time per week, For all: from enrollment to the end of intervention at 6 weeks and at a 3 weeks follow-up]
Secondary outcome measures (6)
  • Anxiodepressive symptoms [Time frame: Intervention group: Two times per week (before and after each session)/Control group: One time per week, For all: from enrollment to the end of intervention at 6 weeks and at a 3 weeks follow-up]
  • Quality of life [Time frame: Intervention group: Two times per week (before and after each session)/Control group: One time per week, For all: from enrollment to the end of intervention at 6 weeks and at a 3 weeks follow-up]
  • Fatigue [Time frame: From enrollment, each week during 6 weeks, Intervention group: Two times per week (before and after each session)]
  • Relaxation [Time frame: From enrollment, each week during 6 weeks, Intervention group: Two times per week (before and after each session)]
  • Perceived changes [Time frame: From Session 2, each week during 5 weeks, Intervention group: Two times per week (before and after each session)]
  • Cybersickness [Time frame: From enrollment, each week during 6 weeks, Intervention group: One time per week (after each session)]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • Fluent in French
  • Being diagnosed with hand arthrisis
  • Reporting an invalidating chronic pain in hand related to the condition

Exclusion criteria

  • Experiencing a medical condition altering the ability to consent or participate in the study
  • Experiencing cognitive disorders; Experiencing sensory disorders (deafness, blindness)

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation
Randomized
Model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single blind
Primary purpose
Supportive care

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Publications

  • Fournier V, Simard MF, Yuen SY, Guine J, Rousseaux F, Lebeau J, Jerbi K, Richebe P, Landry M, Rainville P, Ogez D. Combining virtual reality and hypnosis to alleviate chronic pain in elderly with hand arthritis: protocol for a randomised phase II clinical trial. BMJ Open. 2025 Oct 5;15(10):e103841. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-103841. PMID 41047257

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06833905 · 2024-3539

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗