Effectiveness of VR Therapy Using the VRNOW Simulator for Phantom Pain After Amputation
The peer-reviewed journal Rehabilitation and Recreation, indexed in Scopus, has published a study on the effectiveness of VR therapy for phantom limb pain following lower limb amputation. The study was conducted at the medical rehabilitation centre where patients funded by our foundation receive treatment. The results confirm what we have believed from the very beginning: VR therapy is not an experiment — it is real help for real people. Researchers set out to prove the effectiveness of VR therapy using the VRNOW simulator in reducing phantom limb pain in military personnel who have undergone lower limb amputation. The study ran throughout 2024–2025 and consisted of two 14-day courses. Phantom limb pain is one of the most debilitating consequences of amputation. A person experiences intense pain in a limb that no longer exists. Conventional methods such as mirror therapy have limited clinical effectiveness. That is precisely why finding new approaches matters so much. 36 male military veterans who had undergone lower limb amputation took part in the study. The average age was 41 years. All 100% of participants were Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen. In 63.9% of cases the amputation was below the knee; in 36.1% it was above the knee. The study results showed a significant reduction in phantom pain after undergoing VR therapy. The number of patients with constant phantom pain decreased from 30 to 8 people. The number of patients with moderate stump pain decreased from 22 to 6 people. Persistent phantom sensations were also significantly reduced — from 28 to 6 people. In addition, an improvement of 28.4 points was recorded on the SF-36 pain scale (p≤0.001), while the overall quality of life index increased by 12 points (p≤0.01). The effect of VR therapy is explained by the mechanism of sensorimotor reintegration: the brain receives visual and motor feedback from the "restored" limb in virtual space, gradually restructuring neural connections and reducing pain intensity. Unlike painkillers, this does not mask the symptom — it addresses its root cause at the level of the brain's body map. "The use of VR therapy with the VRNOW simulator in patients after lower limb amputation contributes to a reduction in residual limb pain, phantom limb pain and phantom sensations through step-by-step sensorimotor stimulation and restoration of neural connections." — Zviriaka O.M., Svyst O.M., Kerestei V.V. // Rehabilitation and Recreation, Vol. 20, №1, 2026 The study was conducted at the Medical Centre "Way to Health" — the rehabilitation partner of our foundation. All 36 study participants received rehabilitation funded by the Way to Health Charity Foundation. The foundation is acknowledged in the study as a partner in supporting the rehabilitation process. It is thanks to the support of our donors and partners that these individuals were able to complete a full rehabilitation course — and become part of a scientific study that now validates this approach for hundreds of other veterans. A Scopus publication is not simply a scientific paper. It is confirmation that our approach is not only humane but scientifically grounded. The VR therapy we fund genuinely reduces pain and genuinely restores people to active functioning. Your contributions are invested not merely in "help" — but in approaches backed by internationally recognised evidence.