Wearable drug-free painkiller and rehabilitator launched by tech start-up may be an answer to opioid epidemic
Written by Anasia D'Mello
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The newly-launched mitouch from UK-based NuroKor is a hand-held device which applies three types of bioelectrical pulses through the skin: MCS (microcurrent), NMS (neuromuscular stimulation) and PNS (peripheral nerve stimulation).
While there are other devices which have trialled bioelectrical technology for the treatment of pain, this is said by the firm to be the latest science applied to treatment and world’s first to incorporate a new generation of microcurrent known as ‘quadwave’.
How it works
The device comes with several sticky pads that attach to the affected area, so they can be used during the day, while relaxing or even while sleeping. Athletes and fitness fans use the device on certain settings while training for extra strength gains.
The pads deliver gentle bioelectrical pulses through the skin. They mimic the body’s natural electrical microcurrent system, which helps cells to regenerate and repair and reduces inflammation. It treats pain by sending pulses through the skin to the nerve endings in the affected area, blocking pain signals from travelling to the brain.
What it treats
The product, designed and developed in the UK by healthtech start-up NuroKor, is already used by doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors, sports scientists, well-known athletes and patients around the globe and is now available to buy online by the public.
It’s used to treat chronic back pain, post-surgery pain, sports injuries, cramps, symptoms of MS and even headaches when applied to the neck area. Current ongoing research has shown it can help diabetic patients at risk of lower limb damage by increasing circulation to this area of the body.
Endorsed by athletes
Among the A-list athletes using NuroKor’s technology are 2016 Olympic gold medallist Susannah Townsend, MBE. Susannah was struck with a knee injury before the Rio 2016 Olympics and puts her quick recovery down to daily use of a bio-electrical stimulation.
She says: “I was using bioelectrical muscle stimulation four times a day and I was even using it on the plane to Rio. I don’t think I would have made it onto the field, let alone go on to win a gold medal, if it weren’t for this kind of technology.”
Pippa Funnell MBE, a leading equestrian eventer, is also a proponent of the technology in between training. She says: “I’ve used many bioelectrical devices like this before, but there’s nothing like the devices developed by Rick because the technology is so advanced.”
NuroKor CEO Rick Rowan quit his career in real estate to develop the mitouch device technology when, several years ago, he was looking for a solution for a back problem he’d suffered from for 30 years, doctors told him to ‘just take Paracetamol’ every day for the rest of his life. While looking for drug- free pain remedies, Rick came across research into bioelectric treatments and saw its potential.
Wanting to show people that natural pain relief is an option, Rick Rowan moved his young family from Australia to the UK while founding NuroKor. He threw himself into the research, which resulted in the development of mitouch.
Rowan says: “I hope the mitouch can bring relief to millions of people – not just people with injuries and health conditions but also recreational sports people who want to rehabilitate their strains more quickly. I created earlier versions of the technology but through NuroKor we have developed the technology to create a new KorOS operating system, and there’s no treatment like it in the world.”
