Virtual Reality-Enhanced Progressive Muscle Relaxation to Manage Chronic Symptoms in Adult Burn Survivors

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate whether progressive muscle relaxation PMR, delivered alone or enhanced with virtual reality VR, can help manage chronic symptoms such as pain, itch, anxiety, sleep problems, and fatigue in adult burn survivors. The study will compare the effects of VR-enhanced PMR VR-PMR with standard PMR to see if the VR technology improves symptom relief and is feasible as a self-administered home treatment for burn survivors. Participants will engage in two intervention phases using a randomized crossover design. In the VR-PMR phase, participants will complete 20-minute sessions for three consecutive days before bedtime, using a VR headset to immerse in relaxing nature scenes while performing PMR exercises. In the standard PMR phase, participants will follow audio-guided muscle relaxation exercises without VR. Each intervention is self-administered at home with symptom reporting throughout the study. During the trial, participants will report symptoms like pain, itch, anxiety, sleep quality, and fatigue before and after each intervention phase. Researchers will assess outcomes using various scales, including numeric rating scales for pain, itch, and anxiety, and sleep and fatigue questionnaires. The study will track adherence, usability, and symptom changes over the intervention periods, with a total duration of about three weeks per intervention phase.

VR-PMR for Post-Burn Symptoms