Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38180725›Full record

ArticlePain and therapy2024

H-Wave

Stephen M Norwood, David Han, Ashim Gupta

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pain and therapy, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.9field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. H-WaveMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025
    Observational
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. H-WavePain and therapy · 2024
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Editorial: Insight in musculoskeletal pain-2023.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024
    Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Stephen M Norwood, Austin, TX, 78738, USA.
David HanDepartment of Management Science and Statistics, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
Ashim GuptaFuture Biologics, Lawrenceville, GA, 30043, USA. ashim6786@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1224-2755
Regenerative Medicine Institute · MXThe University of Texas at Austin · USThe University of Texas at San Antonio · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionChronic low back pain (cLBP) is a problem globally, creating a tremendous economic burden. Since conventional treatments often fail, various forms of electrical stimulation have been proposed to improve function and decrease pain. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have not been adequately reported in the electrical stimulation literature.

methodsA retrospective independent statistical analysis was conducted on PROMs data for users of H-Wave

resultsReported pain was reduced by 3.12 points (0-10 pain scale), with significant (≥ 20%) relief in 85.28%. Function/activities of daily living (ADL) improved in 96.36%, while improved work performance was reported in 81.61%. Medication use decreased or stopped in 64.41% and sleep improved in 59.76%. Over 96% reported having expectations met or exceeded, service satisfaction, and confidence in device use, while no adverse events were reported. Subgroup analyses found positive associations with longer duration of device use, home exercise participation, and working, whereas older age and longer pain chronicity resulted in reduced benefit. Similar analysis of the larger all-diagnoses cohort demonstrated near-equivalent positive outcomes.

conclusionTreatment outcomes directly reported by cLBP HWDS patients demonstrated profound positive effects on function and ADL, robust improvement in pain perception, and additional benefits like decreased medication use, better sleep, and improved work performance, representing compelling new evidence of treatment efficacy.

Indexed as

Chronic painElectrical stimulationH-Wave®H-Wave device stimulationLow back painPatient-reported outcome measuresPROMs

Identifiers

PMID38180725
PMCPMC10796857
OpenAlexW4390607432

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.