3 Emerging Technologies Revolutionizing Pain Management

Last year, we reviewed three of the most advanced technologies showing promise in the future treatment of chronic pain, but how have they progressed since then? While many of these treatments are still in the early stages of research, they are establishing a new framework for potential treatments.

“Pain management technology has come so far from the days of frequent opioid prescriptions,” said Lisa Strader, Senior Medical Manager at Safety National. “These advancements may not only reduce pain but provide injured workers with more autonomy and ability to conduct their lives in a way that parallels their lives pre-injury.”

Breaking new ground in pain management techniques is often a long and tedious process, but these technologies have made significant headway in the last year.

1. Neuromodulation

According to the American Academy of Neurology, neuromodulation devices can treat not just chronic pain but movement disorders, epilepsy, depression, and other neurologic indications. These devices are intended to help re-establish the normal function of the nervous system with non-invasive, minimally invasive, and surgical options available. Technology is moving beyond spinal cord stimulation (SCS), the most common method of neuromodulation, and heading toward implanted restorative devices. Instead of treating the symptoms, this method can treat the source of the pain, helping to reduce pain and potentially restore function. The Mayo Clinic states that patients with these implanted restorative devices have experienced long-lasting progressive improvement in pain reduction.

Scrambler therapy has also grown in popularity. This technique takes signals from nerve endings experiencing pain and “scrambles” them with signals from adjacent areas experiencing no pain. Current studies have focused on spinal pain, peripheral diabetic neuropathy, and chronic pain. This treatment remains expensive, but more cost-effective treatments are on the rise, providing superior care compared to more conservative approaches with short-term effectiveness.

2. Telemedicine

From its rapidly increasing use during the pandemic to a steady, but less frequent, use four years later, telehealth has been through incredible changes. Medicare and Medicaid policy changes made during the pandemic have since been implemented permanently as growing evidence suggests its benefits in accessibility for patients. A recent study focused on the impact of telehealth on Medicare, spending, and quality of care found that patients with the most significant increase in telehealth use since the pandemic had 2.2% more visits per year to both in-person and telehealth appointments. Additionally, they had 2.7% fewer emergency room visits for non-COVID-19-related issues.

While initial physical exams are essential to diagnosing pain, many providers may offer ongoing and routine physical therapy visits via telehealth. Transportation and scheduling flexibility are difficult for many patients, particularly those in rural settings with limited access to healthcare. Telehealth options can reduce the strain of lengthy travel with affordability, too. While AI in telehealth is not dependable yet, it shows potential in its ability to triage patients to provide the correct level of care. For example, an individual considering an in-person doctor visit may utilize a virtual visit instead after being appropriately triaged. It is important to note, though, that AI cannot diagnose an individual, so many advancements are needed in the field.

3. Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Therapies

At the intersection of biotechnology and nanotechnology, potentially life-saving treatments using nanoparticles are being made. These can deliver pain medication to specific tissues and organs and detect biomarkers and molecular sources of pain, potentially making pain management more efficient and accurate. Additionally, nanoparticles can provide a controlled release of a medication, reducing side effects.

New medications are also being developed to more effectively manage pain while reducing dependency and the potential for abuse, which is often seen in opioids. Some compounds are also being used to treat a broader range of conditions. Naltrexone, which was once prescribed to treat opioid overdose, is now being used in low-dosage to treat fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and painful diabetic neuropathy.

Many of these treatments aim to reach the source of chronic pain, instead of the symptoms, digging deeper for patient relief. More research is needed to make these treatments accessible, but the next 10 years could bring swift changes in in pain management.