wearables

Could Wearables Replace Opioids For Pain Management?

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

wearable painChronic pain affects roughly 100 million Americans, and the pain management market is estimated to be about $635 billion a year. With so many people to treat and money to be made by finding new, safer treatment options, a number of different technology companies are jumping into the world of pain management.

One area that is of particular interest to these companies is wearables and how they can be used to combat and treat chronic pain. A recent study involving more than 1,600 people with distal and proximal chronic pain focused on the Quell wearable device. The wearable allowed patients to track their pain in real time, including changes in pain intensity and pain interference with sleep, activity and mood on an 11-point scale. Patients tracked these changes over the course of two months, and researchers analyzed the findings at the conclusion of the study.

But tracking wasn’t the only feature available with the wearable. The unit actually provided high-frequency transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation. Many patients found that when they wore the device and it was emitting signals, that their pain levels decreased.

“[We found] statistically and clinically significant decreases in pain interference with activity and mood” and “a clinically significant decrease in pain intensity and less pain interference with sleep,” researchers wrote.

Wearables and the Future of Chronic Pain Management

The quell device was only helpful for a select number of people dealing with certain types of chronic pain, but the technology behind the device is exciting. It’s like a hybrid Fitbit and TENS unit, and as the technology continues to progress, we may soon see wearables that can work to drown out pain signals in all different areas of the body.

We understand the science, but because pain is such an individualized issue, there’s no one-size-fits-all wearable for chronic pain. Opioids do a better job of controlling a wider type of pain, but they come with their own potential drawbacks, including potential addiction and dependence. Wearables do not present the problem of dependence, but the tricky part is getting them to impact the specific nerve pathway that is causing pain.

We need to keep investing money in these alternative treatment options and in pain management as a whole. It seems like we’re nearing a breakthrough, not just with wearables, but as a whole. Pain is a huge industry affecting tens of millions of people, so it’s going to draw attention and investments. The first company to develop a wearable or another opioid alternative that can reliably control certain types of widespread pain will set the bar and enjoy the spoils that come with it. This will lead to more investments, better technology, and hopefully, better non-opioid patient care options for chronic pain. We’re excited to see what the future holds.

Can Wearables Reduce My Chronic Pain?

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

The CES, more commonly known as the consumer electronics show, is the place where new electronic devices are displayed every January in Las Vegas. The latest show has just finished, and of course there are a bevy of new toys available. One item that was presented was the Quell; a similar non-electric version is making the rounds as a commercial on TV. The Quell device straps on the calf and delivers a small current to the area to stimulate the branches of the sciatic nerve in the leg, while the TV strap version just puts pressure on the nerves. The claim for both of these wearables is that they can take care of back pain radiating into the leg, and in the case of the Quell, it can cure any pain in the legs.

The reality is that these machines will work on about 30 percent of the people who use them. This is an absolute guarantee. It is the same number of people that a placebo (an inert sugar pill) will work for positively. Otherwise, the science behind these devices is limited. Stimulating a nerve in the periphery can change the brain’s ability to perceive signals coming from the same part of the body. However, the brain is very good at recognizing the vast variety of signals it does receive from all over the body, and this is what allows the body to function as well as it does in a variety of situations. The likelihood that the Quell can superiorly trick the nervous system is small.

Tens Device

We already have peripheral stimulating systems, known as TENs units, that have been around for years, and with improved electronics, they have become smaller, easier to use, and have sophisticated stimulation patterns. Electrical stimulation has been around since the late 1800’s for use in medicine. Physical therapists have used a variety of electrical stimulation devices to help control pain and improve function since the end of World War I. The unfortunate truth is that all of these devices only work in a small percentage of people, at the most 50 percent. When they do work, they can be very helpful controlling a variety of painful conditions. These units can usually be tried in physical therapy for about a month, and if they work, then they can be purchased. These devices at least have sound science behind them, and can be purchased at a reasonable price if they work for you.

These latest devices hyped at the CES or on TV are probably best left alone. These are examples of magical cures for conditions, and we know there is no magical solution. If pain is an ongoing condition in your life, find a good medical practitioner who can diagnose the problem and lead you to a solution that will work. The problem did not likely suddenly appear, and good solutions are unlikely to make the problem magically disappear.