Kelly Whelan President at BioElectronics Corporat
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Posted On: 10/06/2025 9:30:05 PM
Kelly Whelan
President at BioElectronics Corporation
9h
Stanford University Study Finds PSWT Provides Sustained Pain Relief for One of the Most Common Forms of Hand Arthritis
BioElectronics Corporation announces the completion and publication of a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial has shown that pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT) provides sustained pain relief in adults with thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis. The study abstract can be viewed here https://lnkd.in/eB3hnkWa
Thumb arthritis is one of the most common—and painful—forms of hand arthritis. It makes everyday tasks like turning doorknobs, buttoning a shirt, or opening a jar difficult. Current treatment options are limited, often involving splints, medications, or injections.
This research suggests PSWT could be a safe, drug-free option that people can use at home—potentially changing how to treat this widespread condition for the estimated 4–7 million U.S. adults with symptomatic thumb CMC arthritis.
The study, involving 61 adults with clinically and/or radiographically diagnosed thumb CMC osteoarthritis, compared outcomes between participants using an active PSWT device and those using an identical-appearing sham device. Both groups wore their devices for approximately eight hours each night over a four-week period.
At four weeks, both groups reported meaningful reductions in pain, likely influenced by the splint-like stiffness of the devices and potential placebo effects. However, after device use was discontinued, thereby removing the splinting and placebo effects, only the PSWT group maintained its pain relief by week six. The difference in pain reduction between PSWT and sham groups at this point was highly statistically significant with a p value of .02.
Other measures—including maximum pain, hand function (PRWHE), and single-assessment scores (SANE)—improved in both groups during the treatment period. Importantly, PSWT was found to be safe and well tolerated. Adverse events were infrequent and mild, most commonly minor skin irritation from the adhesive tape. No serious adverse events occurred.
Key findings:
• Both PSWT and sham groups experienced pain reduction at 4 weeks.
• At 6 weeks, only the PSWT group sustained improvement, resulting in a significant difference versus sham.
• Benefits were not solely explained by splinting effects, placebo response, or continued device use.
• PSWT was safe, with no serious adverse events reported.
“These findings suggest that PSWT may offer a true sustained analgesic benefit for thumb osteoarthritis,” said the study investigators.
#painmanagement #painrelief #osteoarthritis #thumbarthritis #jointarthritis #handarthritis #arthritisresearch #CMCjointarthritis
Clinical Efficacy of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Pain: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial - Maxwell S. Durtschi, Vinod Rajakumar, Deborah E. Kenney, Nicole S. Pham, Amy L. Ladd, Raymond C. Chou, 2025
journals.sagepub.com
President at BioElectronics Corporation
9h
Stanford University Study Finds PSWT Provides Sustained Pain Relief for One of the Most Common Forms of Hand Arthritis
BioElectronics Corporation announces the completion and publication of a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial has shown that pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT) provides sustained pain relief in adults with thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis. The study abstract can be viewed here https://lnkd.in/eB3hnkWa
Thumb arthritis is one of the most common—and painful—forms of hand arthritis. It makes everyday tasks like turning doorknobs, buttoning a shirt, or opening a jar difficult. Current treatment options are limited, often involving splints, medications, or injections.
This research suggests PSWT could be a safe, drug-free option that people can use at home—potentially changing how to treat this widespread condition for the estimated 4–7 million U.S. adults with symptomatic thumb CMC arthritis.
The study, involving 61 adults with clinically and/or radiographically diagnosed thumb CMC osteoarthritis, compared outcomes between participants using an active PSWT device and those using an identical-appearing sham device. Both groups wore their devices for approximately eight hours each night over a four-week period.
At four weeks, both groups reported meaningful reductions in pain, likely influenced by the splint-like stiffness of the devices and potential placebo effects. However, after device use was discontinued, thereby removing the splinting and placebo effects, only the PSWT group maintained its pain relief by week six. The difference in pain reduction between PSWT and sham groups at this point was highly statistically significant with a p value of .02.
Other measures—including maximum pain, hand function (PRWHE), and single-assessment scores (SANE)—improved in both groups during the treatment period. Importantly, PSWT was found to be safe and well tolerated. Adverse events were infrequent and mild, most commonly minor skin irritation from the adhesive tape. No serious adverse events occurred.
Key findings:
• Both PSWT and sham groups experienced pain reduction at 4 weeks.
• At 6 weeks, only the PSWT group sustained improvement, resulting in a significant difference versus sham.
• Benefits were not solely explained by splinting effects, placebo response, or continued device use.
• PSWT was safe, with no serious adverse events reported.
“These findings suggest that PSWT may offer a true sustained analgesic benefit for thumb osteoarthritis,” said the study investigators.
#painmanagement #painrelief #osteoarthritis #thumbarthritis #jointarthritis #handarthritis #arthritisresearch #CMCjointarthritis
Clinical Efficacy of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Pain: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial - Maxwell S. Durtschi, Vinod Rajakumar, Deborah E. Kenney, Nicole S. Pham, Amy L. Ladd, Raymond C. Chou, 2025
journals.sagepub.com
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