Mediaseek, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Mediaseek”) based in Tokyo is pleased to announce that a research article on the treatment of nonspecific chronic low back pain, conducted by the Pain Center of Chiba University Hospital using its proprietary neurofeedback engine “Alpha Switch” and a smartphone application equipped in this engine, has been published in “Scientific Reports,” an international peer-reviewed journal.
Research article
- Article title: New treatment strategy for chronic low back pain with alpha wave neurofeedback
- Journal: Scientific Reports
- URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-18931-0
- Study type: Prospective longitudinal / randomized controlled trial
Study details
A new treatment strategy using neurofeedback, pharmacotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and exercise therapy was tested in patients with nonspecific low back pain with no identifiable cause at the Pain Center, Chiba University Hospital, under the direction of Assistant Professor Keisuke Shimizu.
The results showed that patients with intractable low back pain that was untreatable by existing standard treatments such as medication and blocked injections showed significant improvement in pain intensity following a new treatment method that combined cognitive-behavioral therapy and exercise therapy with neurofeedback training. The synergistic effect of combining cognitive-behavioral therapy and neurofeedback in the early post-chronicity period was particularly high, indicating that neurofeedback plays a role in enhancing the therapeutic effects of existing treatment methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
With a lifetime prevalence rate of 83%, back pain is said to be one of the most common health problems among Japanese people, and its estimated cost to the economy is as much as 3 trillion yen per year. This study showed the effectiveness of a novel treatment protocol for low back pain that incorporates neurofeedback.
Mediaseek, registered with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a medical device manufacturer, plans to utilize these research results while developing its own medical device program using brain technology. The company will continue to research, develop and provide neurofeedback engines for a wide range of applications. At the same time, it intends to focus on developing services such as smartphone applications for treatment.
