Virtual reality enhances affective valence and attentional dissociation during exercise but not exercise-induced hypoalgesia

Abstract The analgesic potential of virtual reality has been demonstrated in acute and chronic pain populations, where it is often employed as a distraction tool or integrated into virtually delivered biopsychosocial pain management plans. However, the extent to which virtual reality can augment exercise-induced hypoalgesia remains underexplored. The aim of the study was to examine the effects of virtual reality on experimentally-induced pain (using cuff pressure algometry), as well as affective and perceptual responses, to moderate-intensity cycle ergometer exercise. A counterbalanced within-subjects design was employed and 19 healthy, pain-free adults completed 20-min exercise bouts at ventilatory threshold under two conditions: virtual reality and control. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of assessment for pressure detection threshold ( p = .038), with higher pain thresholds observed immediately following each exercise bout when compared to baseline. However, there were no differences in pressure detection threshold between exercise conditions. Analyses also revealed that the virtual reality condition was associated with more positive affective valence ( p = .002) and greater attentional dissociation ( p = .036) when compared to control, as well as higher post-task ratings of exercise enjoyment ( p < .001), remembered pleasure ( p = .045), and forecasted pleasure ( p = .033). Despite the lack of enhancement in experimentally-induced pain modulation, the findings support the notion that virtual reality technology can be a useful tool for promoting pleasurable exercise experiences.