Could Magnets Help Us Treat Chronic Pain?

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

magnet chronic painWe are always looking for new ways to control and treat chronic pain, and researchers out of UCLA may be doing just that. Their latest project involves using tiny magnetic particles to manipulate cells to control certain chronic pain conditions.

According to researchers, the goal of the study was to see if biomechanical forces that push and pull on cells can be used to treat diseases.

“There’s a long way to go, but this early work shows this path toward so-called ‘mechanoceuticals’ is a promising one,” said Dino di Carlo, professor at UCLA and lead researchers for the study.

How It Works

The process works by adminstering a small amount of gel-like material to the skin surface near the source of pain. The substance contains tiny magnetic particles that affects cell proteins inside the body that respond to mechanical stimulation. This helps to control the flow of certain ions, which can affect pain sensations.

“Our results show that through exploiting ‘neural network homeostasis,’ which is the idea of returning a biological system to a stable state, it is possible to lessen the signals of pain through the nervous system,” Andy Kah Ping Tay, a recent UCLA doctoral graduate and lead author of the study, said. “Ultimately, this could lead to new ways to provide therapeutic pain relief.”

The process is complicated and pretty scientifically dense, but in essence, when a magnetic force was applied to this substance, researchers could induce an increase in calcium ions in neurons. This showed that neurons responded to the applied force, and by steadily increasing these forces over time, researchers noticed that continued stimulation led to a reduction in pain signals.

Researchers believe the magnetic gel could be applied to certain biomaterials or therapeutic devices to treat muscle disorders or certain chronic pain conditions.

Cell manipulation seems to be an area getting a lot of attention when looking for the next chronic pain breakthrough. These findings are interesting, and hopefully they can propel us forward in our quest to control and treat chronic pain.