Virtual Reality used to soothe anxious 15-year-old with curved spine before surgery

A teen girl, who was anxious before receiving surgery for her challenging condition that causes her spine to curve, received a new form of distraction therapy.

Mia, 15, recently received Spinal Fusion surgery for Scoliosis at the Children’s Hospital Birmingham. Before surgery, Mia’s spine had a curvature of 82 degrees meaning she required a titanium rod to realign her spine from the neck down. The condition affects 2-3% of the population and 10 % of them require surgery to rectify the placement of their spine.

For Mia, the surgery has allowed her to have a better quality of life, increasing her mobility and reducing future curvature from occurring. She had to be under General Anaesthetic (GA), which can often be an uncomfortable and anxious experience for young people. This is why the hospital offers patients a new form of distraction therapy, before, after, and sometimes during complex medical procedures.

Funded by Birmingham Children’s Hospital charity, the use of Virtual Reality is being integrated into clinical practices to reduce anxiety in children and young people across NHS Foundation Trust.

Before Mia’s surgery, mum Lorette, aged 41, shared: “Before her surgery, Mia was quite nervous, so the VR was really great for helping her to relax. It definitely reduced her anxiety. It’s a scary time to be in hospital so having this was awesome. We definitely think it should be used across the hospital more often as it does make the experience far less uncomfortable compared to without the headsets.”

Mia, age 15 said: “I’ve never used a VR headset before so it was really fun to use one in the hospital. It really took my mind off why I was there.”

She is already back home and is recovering. Her mother said: “We’re hoping to get Mia back to school soon so she can get back to her usual life as a teenager – being bed-ridden isn’t great so to be able to get her out of the hospital and back on her feet is brilliant. I’d say the VR was a really good idea to make the process easier – it definitely has a place.”

The Trust is raising £120,000 to purchase Virtual Reality Headsets to support patients like Mia across their hospitals. You can read more about their appeal on the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity website.