Mind & Motion + Fern
Step inside the future of relief
Chronic pain isn’t just physical
RealizedCare brings together the best of Fern digital pain management and our Mind & Motion VR program to address the physical, emotional, and social aspects of pain.
How It Works
Our programs are rooted in behavioral pain medicine, and deliver the education, activities, and life skills that individuals need to manage the physical, emotional, and social aspects of chronic pain. We use a biopsychosocial integrated approach focused on the whole person.
In partnership with our scientific advisors and pain experts at Massachusetts General Hospital, we have developed multifaceted, evidence-based interventions and a care management program that allows us to approach pain differently than the rest of the market.
Fern
Digital chronic pain management
Fern customizes each member’s program, including condition specific education for:
Musculoskeletal pain
Chronic headaches, including migraine and tension-type
Fibromyalgia
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy
We work with individuals to:
Identify how pain is impacting their life
Set goals related to our core program pillars – exercise therapy, emotional health, movement, sleep, and nutrition.
Provide daily tips that help individuals meet their goals.
Mind & Motion
Our personalized support goes beyond addressing solely the physical symptoms of pain by providing tailored programs that focus on improving physical function and quality of life.
Graded Exposure to Movement
Members experience gamified exercises designed to help overcome fear of movement and bring joy back to exercise. Movements start gently and become more challenging as they progress in the program.
Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE)
We’ve partnered with renowned pain scientist Dr. Adriaan Louw, PT, PhD, to digitize PNE, an evidence-based curriculum for improving pain coping skills, rooted in understanding how pain works in the brain and nervous system.
Mindfulness Training
Guided, progressive mindfulness practices integrate the benefits of mindful awareness and breathing to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, giving members confidence in managing pain flare-ups.
Outcomes that deliver results.
Studied in 165 subjects across 2 completed randomized controlled trials (RCT), 1 ongoing RCT, and multiple case studies and ~8,000 patients served in over 22,000 patient encounters, patients have experienced:
2.5X
Greater likelihood of a clinical reduction in disability
20%
Improvement in pain catastrophizing
97%
Of Fern users would refer a family member or friend
Trials & Results
Randomized Controlled Trials
PNE-VR Phase I RCT @Evidence In Motion (In preparation)
Patients (n=30) with CLBP randomly assigned to Usual Care or Usual Care plus PNE-VR.
PNE-VR group yielded a significant (p = 0.04) greater improvement in pain (NPRS).
63% of patients in the PNE-VR group met criteria for MCID, while only 27% of the control group evidenced MCID
PNE-VR Feasibility @Belmont and Utah University (In review)
PT patients (n=52) randomized to PT or PT + PNE-VR.
Participant compliance with PNE-VR was 73.7%.
PNE-VR scored high in satisfaction and acceptability.
Those that received PNE-VR had 2.53 greater odds of achieving the MCID in disability, as measured by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
Case Studies & Real World Data
PNE-VR Case-Report & Case-Series (Louw et al. 20191; Louw et al. 20232)
Patients (n=40) with low back, neck, knee, and shoulder pain.
Improvements in fear of physical activity, catastrophization, range of motion.
Global Rating of Change (GROC) above MCID.
BehaVR Real World Data (based on 6,692 patients served)
Pain Catastrophizing Score (median -18% change*)
Perceived Stress Score (median -9% change*)
Global Rating of Change (median 2 point improvement*) * All statistically significant changes (p < 0.001)
Louw, Adriaan, Colleen Louw, and Tim Flynn. 2019. “Case Report: Pain Neuroscience Education Using Virtual Reality.” Pain and Rehabilitation - the Journal of Physiotherapy Pain Association 2019 (46): 4–7.
Louw, Adriaan, Kory Zimney, Daniel Stopher, K. Glen Saldanha, Jake Shockley, Lauren Elliott, Daniel Macera, and Terry Cox. 2023. “Pain Neuroscience Education Delivered Through Virtual Reality for Common Musculoskeletal Conditions Seen in Physical Therapy: An Exploratory Study.” Reports on Global Health Research, May.
Supporting Evidence
Ryan McConnell, Elizabeth Lane, Grace Webb, Dana LaPeze, Hailey Grillo & Julie Fritz (2024). A multicenter feasibility randomized controlled trial using a virtual reality application of pain neuroscience education for adults with chronic low back pain. Annals of Medicine, 56:1.
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