Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Can a VR headset ease the stress of joint replacement surgery?

NCT ID NCT07872670

NEW Symptom relief Sponsor: NHS Highland Research, Development and Innovation Organisation Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Oct 13, 2026 · Last updated Oct 13, 2026

Summary

Researchers are testing whether daily virtual reality sessions can reduce anxiety and pain for people having hip or knee replacement surgery. Participants use a VR headset for 20 minutes a day starting about a week before surgery and continuing for 30 days after. The pilot study also checks whether patients are willing to join and able to stick with the VR routine, and it collects questionnaires and blood samples to see how recovery goes.

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 immersive therapy using a VR headset
What this could lead to
If it works, virtual reality could become a drug-free way to help patients feel calmer and more comfortable around joint replacement surgery.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study of 40 people, so it may not show clear benefits or may not apply to other patients. Some people may find the headset uncomfortable or hard to use.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2026

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * NHS Highland patients * Able to provide written informed consent (remotely) * ASA Grade 1 and 2 * Listed for elective surgery at NHSH NTC * Adults\>18 years undergoing joint arthroplasty surgery (hip and knee) will be included * Fluent in English * Able to receive and write emails * Willing to comply with study protocols/training * Access to Wi-Fi to undertake VRIT and complete questionnaires online Exclusion Criteria: * Not able to provide written informed consent * Considered unsuitable by Clinician (with reason) * Vision /hearing difficulties which preclude interaction with immersive environment * Unable or unwilling to comply with study procedures and activities * Participation in another interventional trial which undermines the scientific basis of the study * Have a history of alcohol or substance abuse or Parkinson's disease or Multiple Sclerosis or Labyrinthitis (Ménière's disease), history of seizures, motion sickness or dementia * Non NHS Highland patients * Photosensitive epilepsy * Patients with surgery scheduled for a Friday

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Anxiety are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia anxiety anxiety disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Anxiety Joint (knee or hip replacement) Pain management Surgical

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • National Treatment Centre - Highland

    RECRUITING

    Inverness, Highlands, IV2 5NA, United Kingdom

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.