Electric shock--to relieve pain?

At one time or another, we have all be victims of static shock.  Whether by accident or a mischievous sibling or friend, it is not a pleasant experience.  But there is some evidence that mild electric shock could be beneficial in treating migraine headaches. 

A recent study published in Neurology shows that electrical stimulation to the skin can help reduce migraine pain by 50% (Yarnitsky et al, 2017).  64% of patients reported that their pain was reduced by at least half—a result similar to current migraine medications on the market.  This treatment may be beneficial to patients who are unable to derive relief from traditional methods. 

The use of electrical shock to treat pain is not new, however.  Neuropathic pain can be treated using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).  Neuropathic pain is pain that originates from the nerves.  Sometimes, nerves may be damaged following injury and can cause neuropathic pain as a result.  This type of pain can often be debilitating and is traditionally treated with painkillers such as aspirin or morphine.  Some patients may turn to TENS in order to get pain relief (DeSantana et al, 2008).

TENS works by stimulating nerves and interfering with the pain signals reaching the brain.  This relies on the gate control theory of pain—basically, the stimulation from the TENS device “closes the gate” and inhibits the nerve carrying neuropathic pain signals (Mayedi and Davis, 2012). 

There is still much research to be done in this area, but for the moment, it appears that electrical stimulation may be a suitable solution for patients who wish to avoid painkillers.

Works Cited:

Desantana, JM, Walsh, DM, Vance, C, Rakel, BA, Sluka, KA.  (2008).  Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Hyperalgesia and Pain.  Curr Rheumatol Rep, 10:6, 492-499.  Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2746624/

Moayedi, M and Davis, KD.  (2013).  Theories of pain: from specificity to gate control. Journal of Neurophysiology.  109(1), 5-12.  Retrieved from: http://jn.physiology.org/content/109/1/5

Yarnitsky, D, Volokh, L, Ironi, A, Weller, B, Shor, M, Shifrin, A, Granovsky, Y. (2017). Nonpainful remote electrical stimulation alleviates episodic migraine pain. Neurology.  Retrieved from: http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2017/03/01/WNL.0000000000003760