Charlotte Surgeons Use VR to Treat Phantom Limb Pain

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A team of surgeons at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte has launched a startup called Axolo Health that has developed a virtual reality-based therapy called Targeted Brain Rehabilitation to help treat phantom limb pain in amputees. The therapy has received FDA registration as a Class II Software as a Medical Device, and early patient tests have shown promising results in preventing phantom limb pain rather than just treating symptoms. The VR therapy is now commercially available for in-clinic use, and larger clinical trials are planned to further validate the approach.

Why it matters

Phantom limb pain is a notoriously difficult condition to treat, and current approaches often rely on opioids or other pain medications that can have negative side effects. The Axolo Health VR therapy represents a non-opioid, brain-based approach that could help amputees manage pain and regain function more effectively. If the larger clinical trials confirm the early positive results, this could become a new standard of care for phantom limb pain.

The details

Axolo Health's Targeted Brain Rehabilitation program uses a structured, four-phase approach delivered through hands-free, gaze-controlled XR headsets. The phases include laterality recognition, guided motor imagery, immersive mirror therapy, and motor execution, all designed to help rebuild disrupted neural maps in the brain. The therapy was developed by Drs. Glenn Gaston and Bryan Loeffler at OrthoCarolina's Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs, who combined new surgical techniques with rehabilitation and virtual reality to help amputees regain function.

• In December 2025, Axolo Health's Targeted Brain Rehabilitation platform received FDA registration as a Class II Software as a Medical Device.
• An OrthoCarolina patient has already used the therapeutic VR device, and clinicians say early evidence suggests it may prevent phantom limb pain rather than only treat symptoms after they appear.

What’s next

Larger, controlled trials will be needed before the Targeted Brain Rehabilitation therapy can be declared a success, but clinicians are optimistic that the non-opioid, brain-based approach could become a new standard of care for phantom limb pain.