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Minimal electric shocks can significantly reduce pain in migraine
About ten percent of the population have migraines. In migraine sufferers suffer from a recurrent, severe headache, which is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Researchers found that pain could easily be reduced by mild electric shocks.
Researchers from the Rambam Healthcare Campus and Technion Faculty of Medicine in Haifa found in a study that a smart phone-controlled device can deliver light electric shock to people with migraine who can then reduce the pain of migraine. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Neurology".
Many people in Germany suffer from migraines. Women are particularly affected. Researchers have now tested a device that can reduce the pain of a migraine attack by mild electric shock. (Image: Alliance / fotolia.com) Device stimulates the nerves under the skin in the arm
The experimental device consists of a patch with a battery, electrodes and a computer chip. This is able to communicate wirelessly with mobile devices. The device is designed to stimulate nerves under the skin in the arm and prevent pain signals from reaching the brain, the researchers explain.
New treatment is more comfortable and discreet
"All previous stimulation treatments have been upside down," says author Dr. David Yarnitsky. "We've been working on stimulating from a more distant part of the body, making the treatment more comfortable and discrete," the expert adds.
Subjects were predominantly female
The current study included 71 people with episodic migraine. These suffered about two to eight migraine attacks a month. Those affected did not take any medications for at least two months prior to the examination to prevent the episodes of migraine, the experts explain. The typical subjects were 40 to 40 years old and had about five migraine attacks per month, the majority of them female. During the study period, sufferers suffered from a total of 299 migraine attacks.
Device was used after a migraine attack for a period of 20 minutes
Participants should use the device as part of the study for a period of 20 minutes immediately after the onset of migraine. In addition, they were banned from taking migraine medication two hours after a seizure, explain the doctors.
How did the electrical stimulation in the study go??
For the experiment, the researchers programmed the devices to either deliver a very low frequency placebo stimulation, or provide one of four levels of active electrical stimulation treatment. The four active treatment programs were set at a pulse rate of 80 to 120 hertz (Hz) and pulse widths of 200, 150, 100 and 50.
Results at a lower pulse width
Using the lowest pulse width, 64 percent of people in the active treatment groups had at least a 50 percent pain reduction two hours after treatment, compared to 26 percent of the placebo group, according to the researchers.
Results at the highest level of stimulation
At the highest level of stimulation, 58 percent of participants who began with moderate to severe pain reported little or no pain after treatment. This effect also occurred in 24 percent of subjects in the placebo group. It also turned out that the timing of the treatment had an important impact, the experts add.
Device should be used immediately after a migraine attack
When people used the device within 20 minutes of starting migraine, there was an average pain reduction of 47 percent, compared to 25 percent when the device was used later. The technology known as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has been tested in other devices for migraine pain for decades.
Further research is needed
Further larger studies must now show that the device is an alternative for people with intolerance to migraine medications. It also needs to be determined if it is an option for patients to use the device in addition to medication to get enough pain relief. (As)