A Prospective Six-Month Study of Chronic Pain Sufferers: A Novel OTC Neuromodulation Therapy.

Objective: To assess the durability of treatment over various chronic pain conditions of an emerging, nonprescription electromagnetic neuromodulation device that uses pulsed shortwave therapy. Methods: A 6-month prospective study, involving 240 chronic pain sufferers, 94% of whom reported using pain pills and 98% reported using pain therapies prior to entering the study. Their average baseline pain was 8.2 VAS points before treatment; they had a pain duration of 6.5 years, and they were positive responders to pulsed shortwave therapy in an initial 7-day trial. Prospective assessments were obtained at intervals of 3, 4, and 6 months following a retrospective 7-day assessment. Longitudinal analyses were conducted to determine pain relief trends after the initial 7-day device use. Results: Seven days after initial treatment, the average pain was reduced to 2.9, a 65% pain reduction for the study subjects. At the 6-month measurement, the average pain was 3.3, a 60% pain reduction from baseline. Only 17% of the subjects saw their pain level increase although this new level was still lower than baseline pain. Pain relief translated into improved quality of life and reduced medication use for the majority of the subjects. There were no significant adverse side effects reported over the 6 months of use. Conclusion: Ninety-seven percent of the recruited subjects, all of whom had previously reported clinically significant pain relief using the 7-day PSWT device, sustained this relief for 6 months by using the device on an as-needed basis.

Chronic pain intervention using pulsed shortwave therapy: the relationship between pain demographics and central sensitization inventory.

Aim: The central sensitization inventory (CSI) is a validated, patient-reported questionnaire that quantifies symptoms of hypersensitivity disorders such as chronic pain, for which central sensitization (CS) may be the etiology. Objective: To investigate the analgesic effectiveness of ActiPatch and analyze the relationship between baseline CSI scores and demographics of chronic pain sufferers. Methods: Upon completing a 7-day ActiPatch trial, baseline CSI scores along with other assessment measures were obtained via e-mail from 174 chronic pain sufferers. Conclusion: CSI scores were positively correlated with gender (higher for women), baseline visual analog scale scores and pain duration. ActiPatch was found to be effective in reducing baseline pain for all subjects by an average of 4.3 visual analog scale points.

An over-the-counter central sensitization therapy: a chronic back pain registry study of pain relief, medication use and their adverse effects.

AIM: Back pain, the most prevalent musculoskeletal chronic pain condition, is usually treated with analgesic medications of questionable efficacy and frequent occurrence of adverse side effects. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine the effectiveness of the ActiPatch medical devices in reducing chronic back pain, document medication related adverse side effects and establish their impact on quality of life. METHODS: Upon completing a 7-day trial, subjects were contacted via email with an assessment form using the Constant Contact email program. A total of 1394 responses were collected from subjects who used the device for back pain. CONCLUSION: Medication adverse effects are common and impact quality of life in the lay population. ActiPatch is an effective intervention for the majority of subjects for treating chronic back pain, although this requires further investigation in randomized clinical trials.