NASA Sees benefits of Electromagnetic Pain Relief
"Astronauts use pharmaceuticals during spaceflight to manage acute and
chronic pain, but use of analgesics will have drawbacks for exploration-class missions because the shelf life of these medications is limited, resupply will be curtailed, astronauts may develop tolerance and/or addiction to these medications, and side effects can include impairment of cognitive abilities. Electromagnetic devices have been developed that treat pain terrestrially by
affecting neuromodulation–dubbed “electroceuticals”, these devices have varied mechanisms of action that either stimulate or suppress neural activity in the central nervous system or peripheral nerves."
Objective/Purpose: The available literature was reviewed and FDA-approved pain treatments (both pharmacological and non-pharmacological), as well as those currently under development, were assessed for their suitability for use in exploration class spaceflight missions.
Pulsed Shortwave Therapy (PSWT)–RF MHz-range transmitter adjacent to
biological tissue at maximum output (saturation) causes modulation of
peripheral nerve activity; could be useful for both acute and chronic pain
[Staelin 2019]
The treatment method ranked first in this review was pulsed
shortwave therapy (PSWT), a low-power RF (MHz range)
transmitter operated adjacent to biological tissue at maximum
output (saturation) to modulate peripheral nerve activity.
ActiPatch is a very small wearable PSWT device that is FDA
approved for “adjunctive treatment of musculoskeletal pain”
[Anwar-Deen 2020]. It is low cost, low power, and boasts 97%
efficacy in reducing pain (85% over a 6-month period) [Staelin
2019]. The device can be secured to the body by physio tape and
the area causing pain is bounded by the device’s ring. The device
can be turned on and off, and the non-rechargeable battery is capable of 720 hours of operation
(one month continuous use). ActiPatch is sold OTC in local pharmacies for ~$30 [ActiPatch
ActiPatch
(BioElectronics Corp)
Evidence base strong
Ease of use easy
Approval FDA
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/202050088...4Sep20.pdf
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/202050088...4Sep20.pdf
"Astronauts use pharmaceuticals during spaceflight to manage acute and
chronic pain, but use of analgesics will have drawbacks for exploration-class missions because the shelf life of these medications is limited, resupply will be curtailed, astronauts may develop tolerance and/or addiction to these medications, and side effects can include impairment of cognitive abilities. Electromagnetic devices have been developed that treat pain terrestrially by
affecting neuromodulation–dubbed “electroceuticals”, these devices have varied mechanisms of action that either stimulate or suppress neural activity in the central nervous system or peripheral nerves."
Objective/Purpose: The available literature was reviewed and FDA-approved pain treatments (both pharmacological and non-pharmacological), as well as those currently under development, were assessed for their suitability for use in exploration class spaceflight missions.
Pulsed Shortwave Therapy (PSWT)–RF MHz-range transmitter adjacent to
biological tissue at maximum output (saturation) causes modulation of
peripheral nerve activity; could be useful for both acute and chronic pain
[Staelin 2019]
The treatment method ranked first in this review was pulsed
shortwave therapy (PSWT), a low-power RF (MHz range)
transmitter operated adjacent to biological tissue at maximum
output (saturation) to modulate peripheral nerve activity.
ActiPatch is a very small wearable PSWT device that is FDA
approved for “adjunctive treatment of musculoskeletal pain”
[Anwar-Deen 2020]. It is low cost, low power, and boasts 97%
efficacy in reducing pain (85% over a 6-month period) [Staelin
2019]. The device can be secured to the body by physio tape and
the area causing pain is bounded by the device’s ring. The device
can be turned on and off, and the non-rechargeable battery is capable of 720 hours of operation
(one month continuous use). ActiPatch is sold OTC in local pharmacies for ~$30 [ActiPatch
ActiPatch
(BioElectronics Corp)
Evidence base strong
Ease of use easy
Approval FDA
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/202050088...4Sep20.pdf
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/202050088...4Sep20.pdf
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