Effects of Virtual Walking on Chronic Pain and Psychological Distress for Individuals With Severe Mobility Impairment
Key facts
- Who runs it
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Where
- Hong Kong1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
- Trial code
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- People taking part
- 48 people, planned
- Started
- 2 Apr 2026
- Expected to end
- 1 Apr 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Virtaul walking
- Passive observing video
- Record updated
- 15 September 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years to 65 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Can take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 10 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- People with SMI (the operational definition of SMI is inability to walk 4 meters in less than 10 seconds, or self-, proxy-, or medical record reported inability to walk across a small room, or dependence on a walking aid during walking for more than 6 months (Pahor et al., 2014))
- At least 6 months post-injury and in stable status
- Persistent chronic pain (more than 3 months) with a reported Numerical Pain Rating Scale ≥ 4 (Villiger et al., 2017)
- Had no changes in their pain medication regimen in the past month
- Able to communicate in Cantonese and to provide informed consent
Who cannot take part
- Have severe cognitive impairment (a score < 6 on the Abbreviated Mental Test (Chu et al., 1995))
- Had a history of moderate to severe brain injury
- Have neurological disorders which affect brain function (i.e., stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy) that may confound EEG measures
- Have a severe psychiatric disorder (schizophrenia or major depression)
- Have an upper limb condition influencing the use of VR (e.g., arthritis or upper limb amputation)
This trial has no sites in United States.
It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This randomized controlled trial aims to: (1) examine the effects of virtual walking intervention on chronic pain (primary outcome), and on depression, stress, anxiety, and quality of life (secondary outcomes) compared with the passive observing video control group in individuals with SMI (primarily spinal cord injury and post-polio); (2) explore the neurological mechanism of virtual walking intervention using the resting-state and task-based electroencephalography (EEG); (3) understand their perceived effects, strengths, and limitations for the virtual walking intervention using semi-structured focus group interviews.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Virtual walking groupTreatment being tested
Participants in the virtual walking group will experience virtual walking in 10 virtual natural scenarios by using arm swing locomotion.
Treatment: Virtaul walking
- Passive observing video groupExisting treatment, for comparison
Participants in the passive observing group will look at 10 matched walking videos.
Treatment: Passive observing video
Data and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Effects of Virtual Walking on Chronic Pain and Psychological Distress for Individuals With Severe Mobility Impairment: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial and Electroencephalogram Study
- Record updated
- 15 September 2026