Virtual reality goggles take the edge off needle stress
NCT ID NCT05364203
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether wearing a virtual reality headset during botulinum toxin injections could lower stress and pain in adults with muscle spasticity. Forty-two participants chose calming audio-visual content while getting their shots. Researchers measured heart rate variability to track stress and asked patients to rate their pain afterward.
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 mask (DEEPSEN)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to make stressful medical injections more comfortable for patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with only 42 participants. The results may not apply to everyone, and the effect might be small or not last with repeated 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
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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
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42 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2022
- Finished
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Dec 2024
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patient, male or female, suffering from spasticity of neurological origin (multiple sclerosis, stroke, head trauma, etc.) and eligible for treatment by botulinum toxin injection * Able to give an informed consent to participate in research * Affiliation to Social Security. Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication to virtual reality (epilepsy, schizophrenia, strabismus, amblyopia, anisometropia, local contraindication to wearing a helmet (lesion of the face or the skull) * Major cognitive disorders * Any medical condition deemed by the investigator to be incompatible with the research. * Indication of sedation by MEOPA during botulinum toxin injection sessions. * Patients who have already experienced virtual reality * Drug treatment or medical condition that may affect heart rate variability * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Patients under safeguard of justice * Refusal of participation.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CHU Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand, France, France