Video Game Therapy Helping Soldiers

Doctors in San Antonio are using an experimental treatment to help treat soldiers who are suffering from burn wounds. The treatment involves having soldiers play video games.

Oscar Librato is one of the soldiers being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center. He was in a Hummer with four other soldiers in 2008 when they were hit by a roadside bomb.

I don’t remember the explosion, all I just remember waking up in the fire," said Librato.

His right hand almost burned away.

“My tendons don't work as good as they used to so what the splint is doing is trying to stretch my fingers,” Librato said.

Librato was burned on over more than 30% of his body. He considers himself lucky though because he was the lone survivor.

For more than a year he has had to endure skin grafts and treatments that cause excruciating pain.

"By the time wound care was done I was exhausted, it was just painful it made me cry I just wanted to get out of there," Librato said.

Now his treatment involves a computer, a mouse, and video monitors designed to look like goggles. They take him to a virtual world called Snow World.

"It made me feel like I was somewhere else,” said Librato.

Snow World is a video game created by professors at the University of Washington.

Doctors with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research have launched a comprehensive study on the game’s effectiveness with combat soldiers at Brooke Army Medical Center.

Dr. Peter DeSocio says a lot of thought went into the digital pictures.

"It had to be an image where we are not really shooting snowballs, we're throwing snowballs, we are not really killing snowmen we are shattering them, we didn't want to create any kind of image or impression that may make their PTSD any worse,” said DeSocio.

The cold environment is not just a visual effect. Brain scans were done on soldiers playing the game and not using the program. When the scans were compared, pain indicators were lowere for those in the snow virtual reality.

"They have some control over their pain, and that is very powerful for them,” DeSocio said.

Librato had his doubts as to whether or not the game would ease his pain.

"I wasn't expecting that it was going to help that much,” Librato said.

Using virtual reality to lower real pain means doctors are able to reduce the amount of pain medication given to soldiers. That reduces the risk of addictions and other complications.

Clinical trials are expected to wrap up in three to four months and if proven successful the program is expected to expand, and not just in San Antonio.

The trials with combat soldiers follows similar work done with pediatric burn victims. Providing the system to private and public hospital systems as well as smaller clinics could be the next step.

Snow World continues to evolve. Originally it had no background music. Then singer-song writer Paul Simon found out about the program. He allowed the developers to use his music free of charge.

"It just means there are people who care, out there, about the troops, care about people getting better,” Librato said.