Virtual reality treatment for phantom leg pain
Official title: Efficacy and Mechanisms of Virtual Reality Treatment of Phantom Leg Pain
Funded at Albert Einstein Healthcare Network · NIH-11175512 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses virtual reality sessions that show and move a virtual leg to try to reduce phantom leg pain and develop a home version patients can use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Albert Einstein Healthcare Network NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $523,513 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD104158-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11175512 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a leg amputation who have ongoing phantom limb pain, can use VR equipment, and can undergo 7T MRI scans are the best fit for participation.
✕Less likely to help
People without phantom limb pain, those with only arm amputations, or anyone who cannot tolerate VR headsets or cannot undergo high-field MRI are unlikely to benefit from or be eligible for this project.
What this research studies
You would be randomly assigned to either an 'Active VR' program that shows a moving virtual leg or a commercially available VR pain program to compare which works better. The team will build a home-based version of whichever VR approach proves most helpful so you could continue therapy outside the clinic. Before and after treatment, researchers will take ultra–high-resolution (7T) brain scans to look for brain changes linked to pain relief and to search for imaging markers that predict who benefits. They will combine clinical and imaging data to create a biomarker-based plan to help personalize home VR treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide a non-drug, home-based VR therapy to lower phantom leg pain for people with amputations.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier smaller studies by this team showed active VR reduced phantom limb pain in below-knee amputees, but home-based delivery and detailed brain-imaging biomarkers are newer elements.
Where this research is happening
-
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Buxbaum, Laurel J — Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
- Study coordinator: Buxbaum, Laurel J
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.