Nanotechnology May Bring Relief to Those with Chronic Low Back Pain
Millions of people suffer from chronic low back pain, which often keeps them from doing things they enjoy and diminishes their quality of life. Always looking for ways to help get relief, many turn to opioids, which poses a concern. Meanwhile, researchers have been busy trying to develop ways to help chronic pain sufferers get relief without reaching from things like opioids. One answer may be found in the field of nanotechnology.
New research published in the April 2025 issue of the Pain Medicine Case Reports shared the findings of a study that involved a nanotechnology pain patch being used for chronic low back pain (1). The patch was put to the test on a man who has been suffering from chronic low back pain for over 35 years. He had tried many methods to find pain relief, including injections, low-dose opioids, and physical therapy, among other treatments.
Wearing the nanotechnology patch daily, the man had a 90-100% reduction in the amount of pain he felt in his low back. He was also able to significantly improve function, and the relief lasted for three months. The pain patch was found to be an effective way for him to relieve the pain he had been experiencing for decades, and likely thought he’d never find relief for.
This isn’t the first time a nanotechnology pain patch has been put to the test by those suffering from chronic pain. In April 2024, the Journal of Clinical Medicine, reported the findings from a study used nanotechnology patches for patients who were undergoing total knee replacement and total hip arthroplasty (2). In this study, 128 patients were observed for a one year period. Researchers concluded that such patches were a valuable tool to reduce or eliminate the use of opioids in surgical patients.
Nanotechnology pain patches consist of three layers, with a layer containing millions of nanocapacitors. They can be reused many times and they do not contain any type of chemicals, medicines, or herbs. They work by influencing the body’s electrical pain signals, helping them to improve how the nervous system is able to communicate. The technology helps the body be able to better process the pain.
Those who are suffering from chronic pain and feel it will never get better need to keep studies like these in mind. With advances in technology come new ways to help find pain relief, including ones that are safer and don’t appear to have side effects. The more options that become available like this, the more tools chronic pain sufferers have to turn to.
Sources:
- Pain Medicine Case Reports. Nanotechnology Pain Patch Relieves Chronic Pain. April 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40331809/
- Journal of Clinical Medicine. Nanotechnology for Pain Management. April 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11084313/
