Virtual reality may offer Drug-Free pain relief for jaw disorder sufferers

NCT ID NCT04851301

First seen Mar 08, 2026 · Last updated Jun 23, 2026 · Updated 16 times

Summary

This study explores whether immersive virtual reality can help reduce chronic pain in people with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). About 259 participants will experience active VR, a sham VR, or no VR while their pain tolerance is measured. The goal is to understand how VR works in the brain compared to placebo, potentially leading to new non-drug pain treatments.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Luana Colloca

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21201-1512, United States

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

virtual reality

What this could lead to

If it works, this could point toward a non-drug, low-risk way to manage chronic pain using virtual reality.

What could go wrong

This is an early-phase study (Phase 1/2) with a small sample, so results may not apply broadly. The sham VR group helps test if effects are just placebo, and naloxone is used to explore pain mechanisms, not as a treatment.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Pain temporomandibular joint disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.