‘TherapeiaVR,’ Pain-Management System That Uses VR to Distract Patients.
Evidence-based therapy has enabled anesthesia-free medical procedures in clinical trials.
LAS VEGAS (Dec. 27, 2022) – At CES® 2023 (Jan. 5-8), xCura, a Japanese health-tech startup, will showcase “TherapeiaVR,” a pain management system that uses VR contents to take patients’ minds away from what’s happening to their bodies, effectively reducing or eliminating the need to use anesthesia and/or pain medication. Developed by the company’s founder & CEO Yuichiro Niijima using his years of experience as a hypnotherapist, “TherapeiaVR” was released on Dec. 2 in Japan following the successful clinical trials across the country, in which both patients and clinicians reported the system’s effectiveness in helping patients manage their fear and pain during dental procedures, gastroscopy, and various other procedures.
“Taking anesthesia and strong pain medication can take heavy tolls on one’s body, in some cases leading
to long-term problems, such as addiction. As a non-pharmaceutical approach to pain management,
‘TherapeiaVR’ can help reduce these problems,” Niijima said. “TherapeaiVR’s VR content combines
evidence-based psychotherapy methods with VR technology, measuring physical signs of pain while
guiding patients to follow specific breathing techniques. We are thrilled to introduce this innovative pain
reduction system at CES 2023.”
How It Works:
- Therapy consists of a VR app and VR goggles. VR content varies, depending on what types of medical procedures it is used for. (In some videos, patients would virtually walk through the forest, space, etc.)
- VR is designed to visually guide the patients to breathe in certain tempos to engender parasympathetic dominance in their bodies, allowing their bodies and minds to relax, while VR narration helps them perform autogenic training (a self-induced calming and relaxation method) and progressive muscle relaxation method to reduce their anxiety and pain.
- Throughout a procedure, TherapeiaVR keeps track of the size of patients’ pupils and the frequency of pupil dilation, as the pupil dilates when one is feeling pain.
- Simple operation. Only requires users to plug in the system and turn it on.
- TherapeiaVR could be used as a pain management tool in procedures and treatments in ophthalmology, obstetrics, nephrology, orthopedics, anesthesiology, psychiatry, rehabilitation, among others.
- • Scheduled for a release in Indonesia and Finland in April 2023.
About xCura
xCura is a Japanese health-tech startup with a mission to reduce people’s sufferings through
innovative use of technology. The company develops pain-management systems that use VR to ease
patients’ fear and pain during medical procedures.
Presented by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the “Japan (J-Startup) Pavilion @Eureka
Park” brings together the country’s innovative startups with proprietary leading-edge technologies. At
CES 2023, the pavilion will feature 36 companies in industries ranging from AI to robotics, space to
mobility, among others.
CES® is one of the world’s largest technology trade shows held annually in Las Vegas. Bringing together
2,279 exhibitors and 84,500 attendees between Las Vegas and online venues at CES 2022, the event is
billed as the “the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators.” At CES 2020
held prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 4,600 companies showcased 20,000 products and services.