This study aims to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis by integrating TENS technology directly into therapeutic gloves. To achieve this, low-cost materials were used, assembled with sewing techniques, and programmed with Arduino. The results indicate by ENET-C therapy have shown to be more effective in relieving pain and improving mobility compared to other treatments.
CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES
METHODS
The research on the effect of TENS involved a systematic review of published studies. Independent reviewers used pre-developed data collection forms to record specific information about TENS-C therapy versus other placebos such as ointments, vibrators, etc., as indicated in Table 1. The same reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the studies, including evaluating the extent to which study design, data collection, and statistical analysis minimized or avoided biases in treatment comparisons. They concluded that TENS-C therapy was slightly superior to the placebos.
RESULTS Y DISCUSSION
The treatment duration, ranging from 20 to 50 minutes with an average of 30 minutes per session, has shown to produce good results in terms of pain relief and improved mobility. It is crucial to use devices with modulated current forms to maintain the therapy's effectiveness over prolonged sessions.
The main contributions of this work lie in the innovation of a portable, hand-specific device that allows for more focused and comfortable administration of TENS. Recommendations for future work include optimizing the current waveform and exploring new electrode configurations to maximize comfort and treatment efficacy. Additionally, further investigation into the ideal treatment intervals and the impact of prolonged low-intensity stimulation on treatment effectiveness is suggested. The application of these results could extend to other types of chronic pain diseases, providing a non-invasive and accessible alternative for improving patients' quality of life.
Figure 3. Electronic Schematic
The results obtained point to the feasibility and efficacy of integrating TENS technology by designing therapeutic gloves for osteoarthritis treatment, offering a practical alternative for patients affected by the chronic disease. Compared to similar commercial solutions such as the one studied by Jamison (2018), do not offer an affordable price for the Peruvian population (~ S/476). Alternatively, out solution is much more accessible (S/70).
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Table 1. TENS-C vs. Placebo (Same Day) Resting Pain Scores (VAS)
Figure 2. (a) Joints Most Affected in OA (b) List of Materials for the Prototype (c) Sketch of the Glove with Custom Modifications
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for the Treatment of Symptoms of Osteoarthritis in the Hand
1Faculty of Engineering - Electronics , University of Technology (UTEC), Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Barranco, Lima, *aixa.alvarez@utec.edu.pe
2Faculty of Engineering- Bioengineering , University of Technology (UTEC), Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Barranco, Lima, *daniela.gamboa@utec.edu.pe
3Faculty of Engineering- Bioengineering , University of Technology (UTEC), Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Barranco, Lima, *rocio.acuna@utec.edu.pe
1Alvarez A.,2 Gamboa D. y 3Acuña R.
Materials
Research Methods
Brosseau L., et al. (2006) Estimulación nerviosa eléctrica transcutánea (ENET) para el tratamiento de la artritis reumatoide en la mano. 1 Hospital Loayza. (2023). La Osteoporosis: La lucha contra una enfermedad silenciosa. 2 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. (s.f). Artrosis de la mano. 3 Salazar R. (2020) PENSAMIENTO CRÍTICO Y RENDIMIENTO ACADÉMICO EN ESTUDIANTES DEL CURSO DE REALIDAD NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL DE LA FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS SOCIALES DE LA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL JOSÉ FAUSTINO SÁNCHEZ CARRIÓN-2018 4 Bayrli. (s.f.). ¿Qué es PUL y TPU? ¿Por qué elegimos TPU para nuestros pañales reutilizables y almohadillas de período? 5. Mi Máquina de Coser. (s.f.). Descubre las 10 mejores telas impermeables y resistentes al agua para coser. 6 Johnson MI , Jones G , Paley CA , et al.La eficacia clínica de la estimulación nerviosa eléctrica transcutánea (TENS) para el dolor agudo y crónico: un protocolo para un metanálisis de ensayos controlados aleatorios (ECA)Abierto BMJ 2019; 9: e029999. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029999 Gupta, A., & Norwood, S. M. (2024). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation vs. H-Wave® device stimulation—similar or different? Frontiers in Pain Research, 5. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2024.1321148 . Fletcher, J. (2021). What to know about wrist straps and gloves for arthritis. Medical News Today. 9 Almorza, T., De La Mata, E., Garcia de Yébenes Prous, M. J., & De la Mata, J. (2024). Multimodal Therapeutic Glove in Patients with Hand Osteoarthritis: A Phase I-II Pilot Study. Annals of Orthopaedics, Trauma And Rehabilitation, 7(1), 149. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnx230
Richeimer, S. (2022). Do Arthritis Gloves Help with Hand Pain and Function? Keck School of Medicine. https://keck.usc.edu/news/do-arthritis-gloves-help-with-hand-pain-and-function/ Gunnarsson, E., Rodby, K., & Seoane, F. (2023). Seamlessly integrated textile electrodes and conductive routing in a garment for electrostimulation: design, manufacturing and evaluation. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-44622-5.pdf Eskandarian, L., Pajootan, E., Toossi, A. et al.(2023) Dry Fiber-Based Electrodes for Electrophysiology Applications. Adv. Fiber Mater. 5, 819–846 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-023-00263-x Breen J., (2020) Five tips for effectively drawing electrical schematics. https://www.controleng.com/articles/five-tips-for-effectively-drawing-electrical-schematics/
Subick, J. (2023). Arduino Push Button: A Comprehensive Beginners Guide. https://www.practicalcoding.net/post/arduino-push-button-a-comprehensive-beginners-guide Tahmasbi, F., Ghaderpanah, R., Sadrian, S. et al. (2023) Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on Chronic Pain in Older Adults: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep 11, 242–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40141-023-00397-4
Jamison, R. N., Mei, A., Edwards, R. R., & Ross, E. L. (2018). Efficacy of vibrating gloves for chronic hand pain due to osteoarthritis. Pain Medicine (Malden, Mass.), 19(5), 1044–1057. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnx230
Osteoarthritis is a chronic and inflammatory disease that primarily affects the synovial membranes of the joints, mainly manifesting in people over 50 years old. According to Arenas (2018), the prevalence of osteoarthritis is significantly higher in Peruvian women (49.7%) compared to men (25%). Additionally, the Plataforma del Estado Peruano (2023) reports a 30% increase in recent years, driven by the rise of teleworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To relieve pain and stiffness, treatments such as medications and physical therapies are employed, although these require visits to specialized centers or the use of inconvenient ointments. In the market, there are gloves with innovative functions, such as heating (IMAK, Orthosleeve, Tommie Copper), vibration (Quantic Nanotech, Intellenetix), and TENS technology (Sensamed, TENS 7000 Conductive Gloves, KONMED), although the latter require external electrostimulation devices. Therefore, the aim of this study is to integrate TENS technology directly into the gloves to provide a practical and efficient solution for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
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Figure 1: Graphic Summary