Investigating a Electromyography Based Electronic Textile for Diagnosis, Monitoring and Treatment of Chronic Pain

Project Synopsis

Central sensitization (CSens) is a phenomenon associated with many chronic pain conditions and it is marked by increased sensitivity to pain and other stimuli. CSens results in an augmentation of the initial stimulus intensity and its prolongation, which results in a very painful experience for the person who suffers from pain. CSens is not well recognized by healthcare providers and is very difficult to treat with the currently available analgesic modalities. Methods of diagnosing CSens are of extreme interest of pain researchers, but a great deal of work is required in the assessment of sensory and motor signals of chronic pain patients. Additionally, the heterogeneity of patients and lack of development of technology is a problem. Developing techniques to record and monitor patients for their sensory experiences would assist in advancing research in this field. Eventually, a closedloop system with machine learning techniques to diagnose and provide personalized treatments to patients is our eventual goal. Our lab has worked to better understand chronic pain through the recording of sensory and motor potentials. Although the sensory aspects of chronic pain are better understood, its effect on the motor functioning is not, making treatment and diagnosis of this condition more difficult.

Project Objective

To investigate the sensory and motor signals associated with chronic pain and the development of wearable garment with the ability to monitor surface EMG activity from areas of pain.