The ONE simple thing that could help ease crippling arthritis pain

An arm hair straightener can be an effective way to combat pain caused by arthritis.

The device, about the size of a mobile phone, gently stimulates the nerve fibers around the hairs that respond to light, pleasant touches such as stroking and massaging.

These fibers, also called C fibers, are found in the skin where hair grows because they have connections to hair follicles, the tubular structures surrounding the hair root.

A clinical trial is currently underway in Italy to see whether using the device twice a week can produce sensations that override the pain signals from the diseased joints to the brain, thus reducing pain.

It is estimated that up to 50 per cent of adults in the UK suffer from chronic pain. A major cause is osteoarthritis, where wear and tear erodes cartilage – the tough, gel-like material that acts as a shock absorber for joints – to the point where bones rub against each other, causing pain and immobility.

These fibers, also called C fibers, are found in the skin where hair grows, as they have connections to hair follicles. (Stock photo)

The wearable device reduced pain by 23 percent in a group of patients who had suffered from back pain or chronic pain throughout the body for at least a decade. (Stock photo)

Although treatments such as physiotherapy and painkillers can help relieve discomfort, around 100,000 people in the UK undergo knee replacement surgery each year for this condition.

The Arm Hair Stroker is designed for people with moderate to severe arthritis pain anywhere in the body. Sensations to the skin are delivered by a number of different types of nerve fibers. While larger nerves—the highways of the nervous system—carry more urgent messages, traveling at speeds of up to 275 mph, the small C fibers are more like sidewalks, traveling at 2.2 mph.

And unlike larger nerves, these C fibers lack the protective layer of myelin (a fatty, protective material), making them more easily stimulated from outside.

The study, being conducted at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, involves 60 volunteers with moderate to severe chronic pain due to osteoarthritis of a joint.

Half will use the stroker — which has a rotating arm that connects to the skin as it spins — for 30 minutes twice a week for three months. The rest will use a dummy device that looks similar but doesn’t have a rotating arm. The device is held against the skin between the elbow and wrist.

The trial follows research from the same team that found that using the handheld gadget reduced pain by 23 percent in a group of patients who had suffered from back pain or chronic widespread body pain for at least a decade. The result was achieved after just 11 minutes of use.

Researchers said that while it’s not clear how it works, one theory is that pleasurable touch blocks some or all of the pain signals going to the brain by activating the opioid system, which is involved in controlling the transmission of pain signals. Stroking may also increase production of the mood-enhancing hormone oxytocin.

Professor Sam Eldabe, an anaesthetist and chronic pain specialist at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, commented on the research: ‘The [device] seems a simple and elegant therapy for an often complex problem. It is questionable whether the effect is constant.

“We also need to see whether the device produces the same results outside of a clinical trial setting, where patient expectations can influence outcomes.”