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Anesth Analg 1999;88:836
© 1999 International Anesthesia Research Society

REGIONAL ANESTHESIA AND PAIN MANAGEMENT

Suppression of Pain Sensation Caused by Millimeter Waves: A Double-Blinded, Cross-Over, Prospective Human Volunteer Study

Alexander A. Radzievsky, MD, PhD*, Mikhail A. Rojavin, PhD*, Alan Cowan, PhD{dagger}, and Marvin C. Ziskin, MD*

*Richard J. Fox Center for Biomedical Physics and {dagger}Department of Pharmacology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Alexander A. Radzievsky, MD, PhD, Richard J. Fox Center for Biomedical Physics, Temple University Medical School, 3420 North Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19140.

We conducted a double-blinded, randomized, cross-over, prospective trial to evaluate the pain relief effect of millimeter waves (MW) under experimental conditions. The cold pressor test was used as a model of tonic aching pain. Twelve healthy male volunteers were exposed to an active medical MW generator and to a disabled sham generator with at least 24 h between exposures. Characteristics of continuous-wave electromagnetic output from the active generator were: wavelength 7.1 mm, incident power density 25 ± 5 mW/cm2, and duration of exposure 30 min. MW produced a significant (P < 0.05) suppression of pain sensation, with an average 37.7% gain in pain tolerance and a 49.3% increase in pain sensitivity range (the latter being the difference between pain tolerance and pain threshold values). Of the 12 volunteers, 7 (58.3%) reacted to the active MW generator with an increased pain tolerance, and the individual reactions varied from 120% to 315% comparison with their own preexposure levels. MW therapy can potentially be used as a supplementary or alternative treatment for pain relief.

Implications: Pain management is still a significant medical problem. In a double-blinded, experimental setting, we confirmed that low-intensity millimeter wave therapy can reduce pain sensitivity in healthy human volunteers and can potentially be used as a supplementary or alternative treatment for pain relief.




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T. I. Usichenko, H. Edinger, V. V. Gizhko, C. Lehmann, M. Wendt, and F. Feyerherd
Low-Intensity Electromagnetic Millimeter Waves for Pain Therapy
Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., June 1, 2006; 3(2): 201 - 207.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999 HighWire Press
Copyright © 1999 by the International Anesthesia Research Society.