ResearchArticle AProspectiveSix-MonthStudyofChronicPainSufferers:ANovel OTC Neuromodulation Therapy Richard Staelin, 1 Sree N. Koneru, 2 and Ian M. Rawe 2 1 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA 2 BioElectronics Corporation, Frederick, MD, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Ian M. Rawe; ian.rawe@gmail.com Received 25 June 2019; Accepted 7 September 2019; Published 30 September 2019 Guest Editor: Hai-Qiang Wang Copyright©2019RichardStaelinetal.isisanopenaccessarticledistributedundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionLicense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective. To assess the durability of treatment over various chronic pain conditions of an emerging, nonprescription elec- tromagnetic neuromodulation device that uses pulsed shortwave therapy. Methods. A 6-month prospective study, involving 240 chronic pain sufferers, 94% of whom reported using pain pills and 98% reported using pain therapies prior to entering the study. eir average baseline pain was 8.2 VAS points before treatment; they had a pain duration of 6.5 years, and they were positive responders to pulsed shortwave therapy in an initial 7-day trial. Prospective assessments were obtained at intervals of 3, 4, and 6 months following a retrospective 7-day assessment. Longitudinal analyses were conducted to determine pain relief trends after the initial 7-day device use. Results.Sevendaysafterinitialtreatment,theaveragepainwasreducedto2.9,a65%painreductionforthe study subjects. At the 6-month measurement, the average pain was 3.3, a 60% pain reduction from baseline. Only 17% of the subjects saw their pain level increase although this new level was still lower than baseline pain. Pain relief translated into improved quality of life and reduced medication use for the majority of the subjects. ere were no significant adverse side effects reported over the 6 months of use. Conclusion. Ninety-seven percent of the recruited subjects, all of whom had previously reported clinically significant pain relief using the 7-day PSWT device, sustained this relief for 6 months by using the device on an as- needed basis. 1. Introduction Developing long-term effective treatments for chronic pain sufferers has proved to be elusive. Evidence from clinical trials and systematic reviews indicate that many in- terventions for chronic pain provide only mild-to-moderate short-term benefits, with a lack of evidence for long-term effectiveness [1]. e challenge with treating chronic pain is reflected in the lack of correlation between pain level and severity of tissue damage [2] due to complex changes in immuno, sensory, hormonal, and inflammatory processes in the peripheral and central nervous system. Repetitive no- ciceptive stimulation induces pathophysiological changes in the pain pathways leading to a persistent state of high re- activity and a lowering of the pain threshold. Such a con- dition is referred to as central sensitization (CS) [3, 4]. Often this occurs after the onset of persistent acute pain which then transitions to chronic pain and is marked by CS-associated neuroplasticity. CS has been linked to the etiologies of os- teoarthritis [2, 5], chronic lower back pain [6], plantar fasciitis [7], fibromyalgia [8, 9], neuropathy [10], migraine [11], and many other chronic conditions [6, 12, 13]. Recent guidelines on treating chronic pain recommend a multimodal treatment approach, with an emphasis on nonpharmacologic therapies prior to using pharmacological treatments [14]. Bioelectronic medicine is one such treat- ment approach aimed at providing therapeutic benefits and involves the use of electrical, magnetic, optical, and ultra- sound pulses to modulate nervous system activity (neuro- modulation) [15]. ose devices that use electrical impulses to achieve targeted neuromodulation are referred to as “Electroceuticals.” ey do this through at least three methods: invasive (implanted), semi-invasive (surface electrodes, such as in transcutaneous electrical nerve Hindawi Pain Research and Management Volume 2019, Article ID 3154194, 11 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3154194