Remote Electrical Neuromodulation Treats Chronic Migraines
Recent clinical trial data suggest that remote electrical neuromodulation treats chronic migraines as effectively as standard medications.
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- Theranica is an organization that develops bio-electrics for safe pain management. In a recent press release, the organization announced clinical trial results, published in the Journal of Pain Management, comparing remote electrical neuromodulation (REN) and standard medication for treating chronic migraines.
According to the press release, the data was collected from 78 adults in the United States who suffer from chronic migraines. Efficacy was analyzed based on single treatment pain relief, pain freedom two hours after treatment, consistent pain relief, and pain freedom across multiple treatments.
Compared to standard medication, 14.1% more patients had significant pain relief two hours after a single treatment. Consistent pain relief was achieved for 64.1% of patients using REN. Conversely, only 57.7% of participants had consistent pain relief with standard medications.
The device developed by Theranica is called Nerivio. When a migraine begins, it is worn on the upper arm and uses conditioned pain modulation to trigger endogenous analgesic mechanisms. Patients can alter the intensity of treatment using a smartphone app. Additionally, the app can log migraine data and be shared with clinicians as a remote patient monitoring tool.
Currently, the device is only available by prescription and cannot be used by anyone under 12 years old. Later studies may advance the use of this device beyond the current age and disease restrictions.
"Chronic migraine patients often have four, five, or even six headache days per week. To treat them effectively and safely, we must expand the first-line standard-care treatment options beyond prescribed medications. This research provides a strong comparison of REN to prescribed medications, mainly triptans, reinforcing the conclusion that REN provides a much-needed alternative to standard-care acute migraine treatment — without compromising effectiveness, stated Brian Grosberg, MD, Director of the Hartford Healthcare Headache Program and primary investigator of the study, in the press release.
Overall, this device may provide an additional tool for clinicians treating chronic migraines. While the device needs to be further studied or a better understanding of its universal efficacy, providers may consider researching the device further and implementing it for patients who have not had success with traditional management.
