A UK registry study of the effectiveness of a new over-the-counter chronic pain therapy

Pain Manag. 2015;5(6):413-23. doi: 10.2217/PMT.15.35. Epub 2015 Aug 3.

Abstract

Background: The ActiPatch(®) (BioElectronics Corporation, MD, USA) pulsed shortwave therapy device has been shown to be clinically effective in three double-blind randomized controlled pain studies. However, the effectiveness of this device in a broader population of chronic musculoskeletal pain sufferers, affected by a variety of etiologies in different regions of the body, has not been studied.

Aim: The objective of this registry study was to assess the effectiveness and satisfaction of the ActiPatch device in the general population of chronic pain sufferers.

Methods: A total of 44,000 subjects completed the trial, with 5000 assessments of the device collected.

Conclusion: The ActiPatch device appears to provide a clinically meaningful reduction of chronic musculoskeletal pain affecting different locations of the body caused by a variety of etiologies.

Keywords: chronic pain; noninvasive; over-the-counter; pulsed shortwave therapy; therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Chronic Pain / therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Musculoskeletal Pain / therapy*
  • Pain Measurement
  • Quality of Life
  • Registries
  • Short-Wave Therapy*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • United Kingdom
  • Young Adult