VR has grown into a fitness phenomenon over the years, showing the world that it can help us Improve coordinationencourages us to do so embody superheroesand can even give one to our brains Energy boost for our health and fitness benefits. Just this week, a new study from the University of Kent in the UK showered the VR and fitness industry with news that VR headsets can reduce pain and increase performance when we train.
This is great news for anyone who regularly exercises, exercises professionally, or is looking for a less painful way to keep their body fit. The news is also valuable to anyone looking to obscure console and PC gamers on the wilder and energetic side of video games!
Performance and Pain Study: VR vs. Non-VR
The University of Kent School of Engineering and Digital Arts research team, led by Maria Matsangidou, examined 80 participants for the VR study in 5 areas of interest. They measured heart rate, pain perception, perceived exhaustion, the time taken to muscle exhaustion and determined how the study participants perceived their own body.
The study groups were divided into two groups – a VR group and a non-VR group. Both groups had to perform isometric bicep curls with a dumbbell. The weight of the dumbbell was 20% of the maximum weight the participants could lift. Both groups did the bicep curls and then held them for as long as possible before their bodies had to rest.
The non-VR group was tested in reality and equipped with a dumbbell, a chair, a table and a yoga mat. While the VR group was equipped with a headset and a dumbbell. This group used the headset to display a simulated room with a chair, table, yoga mat, and a virtual copy of an arm and dumbbell inside. Your insights will transform fitness and health applications in VR like never before.
VR vs. Non-VR performance and pain outcomes
Credit to: VR Fitness Insider
The results of the study showed a significant reduction in the perception of pain and exertion when using VR technology. The data showed that after one minute, the VR group reported a 10% lower pain intensity than the non-VR group. ”
The study also found that the group that used VR during the isometric bicep curl overtook the non-VR group by two minutes! The VR group also showed a decreased heart rate at three heartbeats per minute less than their non-VR counterparts.
In a test of strength, endurance and resilience of the body, the VR group stepped as the unintended winner on the other side. Most importantly, the VR group had a better physical experience and didn’t feel as much pain during exercise as their VR-free classmates.
Fitness implications
Black Box VR wins the Best Startup Award! Credit to: Engadget
VR has been used in hospitals around the world to distract patients from needles. It has even been used in office medical procedures and for recovery in post-operative physiotherapy. The news of VR’s ability to relieve pain and give everyone an advantage in exercising confirms its effectiveness in health and fitness environments.
Players, coaches, doctors, patients, and now weight lifters, have even more evidence that VR is a cross-functional powerhouse. Companies like Black Box VR, Innovators of the body-activated VR cable resistance machine, are pushing the boundaries of this technology. They are aware of VR’s ability to relieve pain and activate a body’s ability to bring itself to a higher potential.
VR Fitness Insider saw our fair share of readers and players like Robert Long shed over a hundred pounds by changing a sedentary lifestyle to active gaming with Beat Saber. And gamers like it Sonya Haskinswho has chronic pain plays an intense game like Echo Arena and participates in VR League eSports. Even fit players who wear a weight vest when getting started with VR had felt the difference between training in VR and not training in VR.
With this new development, the rest of the world is catching up with what we have been reporting on for years. VR is a technological advance that surprises us every step of the way. It can propel us through the effort and pain of training and even make us forget that we are doing it because it’s so exhilarating to our senses, brain, and body. Having less pain while playing is just another reason more people should try.
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