Mild Electric Shocks on the Arm Might Help Ease Migraine Pain

The experimental gadget has been designed to stimulate nerves under the skin in the arm and block pain signals from reaching the brain.

WHEN A migraine strikes, patients might one day be able to make the experience less painful by using a smartphone-controlled device to deliver mild electric shocks to their arm, a company-funded experiment suggests.

The experimental gadget, Nerivio Migra, is a patch with a battery, electrodes and a computer chip that can wirelessly communicate with mobile devices. It’s designed to stimulate nerves under the skin in the arm and block pain signals from reaching the brain.

“All stimulation treatments given so far have been in the head,” said lead study author Dr David Yarnitsky, an advisory board member for Theranica, the company developing the device.

“We worked on stimulation at a far away location, which makes the treatment more convenient and more discrete so people can use it even during working hours without anyone noticing,” Yarnitsky added by email. The study involved 71 people with episodic migraines who had two to eight attacks a month and had not taken drugs to prevent the episodes for at least two months.