Visual feedback manipulation in virtual reality to influence pain-free range of motion. Are people with non-specific neck pain who are fearful of movement more susceptible?

Background Movement-evoked pain may have a protective or learned component, influenced by visual cues which suggest that the person is moving towards a position that may be perceived as threatening. We investigated whether visual feedback manipulation in virtual reality (VR) had a different effect on cervical pain-free range of motion (ROM) in people with fear of movement. Method In this cross-sectional study, seventy-five people with non-specific neck pain (i.e., neck pain without a specific underlying pathology) rotated their head until the onset of pain, while wearing a VR-headset. Visual feedback about the amount of movement was equal, 30% smaller or 30% larger than their actual rotation. ROM was measured using the VR-headset sensors. The effect of VR manipulation in fearful (N = 19 using the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) and N = 18 using the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire-physical activity (FABQ_pa)) and non-fearful (N = 46; non-fearful on both scales) people was compared using mixed-design ANOVAs. Results Fear of movement, influenced the effect of visual feedback manipulation on cervical pain-free ROM (TSK: p = 0.036, Ƞ_p² = 0.060; FABQ_pa: p = 0.020, Ƞ_p² = 0.077); a greater amplitude of pain-free movement was found when visual feedback reduced the perceived rotation angle compared to the control condition (TSK: p = 0.090, Ƞ_p² = 0.104; FABQ_pa: p = 0.030, Ƞ_p² = 0.073). Independent of the presence of fear, visual feedback manipulation reduced the cervical pain-free ROM in the overstated condition (TSK: p< 0.001, Ƞ_p² = 0.195; FABQ_pa: p<0.001, Ƞ_p² = 0.329). Discussion Cervical pain-free ROM can be influenced by visual perception of the amount of rotation and people with fear of movement seem to be more susceptible to this effect. Further research in people with moderate/severe fear is needed to determine whether manipulating visual feedback may have clinical applicability to make patients aware that ROM may be influenced more by fear than tissue pathology.