Mirrors can alleviate arthritis
Swapped-hand illusion produces drop in pain ratings, preliminary study shows
WASHINGTON — Tricking people with severe arthritis into thinking their sore hand is healthy dampens their pain, a new study suggests.
If confirmed, the preliminary results may offer a powerful and inexpensive way to fight persistent arthritis pain.
“The results are really exciting,” said pain expert Candy McCabe of the University of Bath in England, who wasn’t involved in the study. “The whole thing is visual trickery, but the science behind it is strong.”
The new technique, described November 12 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, is a type of mirror therapy, in which the illusion of a pain-free hand makes people feel better. So far, visual feedback from mirrors has been shown to reduce some kinds of chronic pain, notably the pain felt in “phantom limbs” of amputees. But it was unclear whether mirror therapy could reduce pain produced by arthritic, inflamed joints.