Pain Management

Posted on Pain Management

Electrical nerve stimulation eases pain and fatigue for some conditions

Wearable TENS system “offered immediate, on-demand relief,” say researchers

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device Credit Bijan Najafi Research Team

 Wearable electrical nerve stimulation devices can relieve people experiencing the persistent pain and fatigue linked to long COVID, a study co-led by UCLA and Baylor College of Medicine researchers suggests.

Long-COVID, a complex and lingering condition following COVID-19 recovery, affects approximately 1 in 13 adults in the U.S. Symptoms such as widespread pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness often continue to disrupt daily activities, including walking and basic tasks.

The study focused on a wearable Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device, which uses low-voltage electrical currents to reduce pain, fatigue, and mobility issues associated with long-COVID.

However, the device could have broader applications.

 “While this study focused on managing pain and fatigue caused by long COVID, it may also have potential applications for addressing similar symptoms in individuals with other respiratory diseases, those who have experienced extended ICU stays and developed post-hospitalization weaknesses, and conditions involving chronic fatigue and pain, such as fibromyalgia or chemotherapy-related side effects,” Najafi said. “But further studies are needed to confirm these potential uses.”

In the study, 25 participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and gait difficulties were assigned either a high-dose (active) TENS device or a low-dose (placebo) device. Both groups used the TENS device for three to five hours daily over four weeks.

Researchers measured participants’ pain levels, fatigue, and walking performance before and after the therapy period. Findings indicated that the high-dose TENS group experienced notable improvements in pain relief (26.1% more relief than placebo) and walking ability (8% during fast walking), suggesting that wearable TENS therapy may help reduce long-COVID’s impact on daily life.

The high-dose TENS group also reported a slightly higher perceived benefit (71.2%) than the low-dose group (61.4%), underscoring the potential of wearable TENS technology to support long-term COVID recovery.

Najafi said one factor in the study’s success was likely the high rate of daily device usage. The wearable nature of the TENS device allowed participants to use it seamlessly throughout the day without disrupting their routines.

“This wearable TENS system offered immediate, on-demand relief from pain and fatigue, making it easy to integrate into daily activities,” Najafi said.

Posted on Pain Management

Ouch! Commonalties found in pain vocalizations and interjections across cultures

Vowel density maps

Vowel density maps reveal that distinct vowel spaces for vocalizations of pain, disgust, and joy remain consistent across languages. Credit Ponsonnet et al.

An estimated 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide, each offering unique ways to express human emotion. But do certain emotions show regularities in their vocal expression across languages?

In JASA, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, an interdisciplinary team of linguists and bioacousticians led by Maïa Ponsonnet, Katarzyna Pisanski, and Christophe Coupé explored this by comparing expressive interjections (like “wow!”) to nonlinguistic vocalizations (like screams and cries) across the globe.

Pisanski explained how studying cries, screams, and laughter can shed light on the origins of speech.

“Why did humans start to speak, and other primates didn’t? We all produce laughter, and hundreds of species produce playlike vocalizations,” said Ponsonnet. “Yet we are the only species that evolved spoken language. These commonalities across species can help us understand where humans diverged and how.

“Critically, by comparing interjections to vocalizations expressing the same emotions, we can test whether the acoustic patterns we observe in interjections can be traced back to vocalizations.”

The researchers analyzed vowels in interjections from 131 languages, comparing them with nearly 500 vowels from vocalizations produced in joyful, painful, or disgusting contexts.

They predicted that the vocalizations’ acoustic forms reflect their adaptive or social functions. “We believe that many vocal expressions have a function. For example, babies’ cries tend to be loud and harsh, evolving to annoy parents enough to stop the aversive signal. We expect vocal expressions of pain, disgust, and joy to reflect their functions too,” said Pisanski.

The researchers found evidence to support this for vocalizations: Each of the three emotions yielded consistent and distinct vowel signatures across cultures. Pain interjections also featured similar open vowels, such as “a,” and wide falling diphthongs, such as “ai” in “Ay!” and “aw” in “Ouch!” However, for disgusted and joyful emotions, in contrast to vocalizations, the interjections lacked regularities across cultures. The researchers expressed surprise at this latter finding.

The team aims to expand this research across more cultures and emotions to understand better how widespread vocal expressions arise and where they come from.

Posted on Arthritis, Exercise, Fibromyalgia, Pain Management

Some Exercises for Chronic Pain – Stretch, Strengthen and Feel Relief

Ease stiffness and feel relief from chronic conditions causing your pain, such as arthritis and fibromyalgia. In this gentle joint video, I will walk you through exercises that gently strengthen and stretch common troublesome areas. This workout begins with a warm-up in a standing position, and then halfway through, we move to a seated position in a chair. If you are only able to complete the seated portion, then just fast forward to that section (about the 15-minute mark), please make sure that you are in a warm environment. This will make sure that your muscles relax and don’t cramp up. It is also essential to stay hydrated. Drinking water will help lubricate your joints.

Posted on Multiple Sclerosis, Pain Management

Eleven Ways Multiple Sclerosis Causes Pain

Can multiple sclerosis cause pain? Yes, it can! This video highlights 11 common pain syndromes associated with MS, including trigeminal neuralgia, the “MS hug,” neuropathic pain, muscle spasms, and several others.