PAPIMI Short Effect on Pain Perception and Heart Rate Variability in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Pain Management
• Autonomic Neuroscience

Background:

• Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) involves complex peripheral and central mechanisms.
• An interplay exists between pain perception and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function.
• Few studies investigate single non-invasive interventions for concurrent modulation of pain and ANS.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate short-term effects of a single PAP Ion Magnetic Induction (PAPIMI™) Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy session.
• Assess impact on subjective pain intensity and heart rate variability (HRV) in CMP individuals.
• Explore the relationship between pain relief and autonomic adaptations.

Main Methods:

• Thirty adults with CMP received one PAPIMI™ session.
• Subjective pain measured using Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS).
• Autonomic function assessed via HRV; pre- to post-intervention changes analyzed.

Main Results:

• Significant reduction in NPRS scores post-PAPIMI intervention (p < 0.001).
• Significant increase in parasympathetic HRV indices: RMSSD (p = 0.015) and HF power (p = 0.029).
• No significant correlations found between pain perception changes and HRV metrics.

Conclusions:

• A single PAPIMI™ session demonstrated analgesic effects in CMP.
• The intervention improved autonomic balance, indicated by enhanced HRV.
• PAPIMI™ shows potential as a non-pharmacological method for rapid pain relief and systemic rebalancing.