BUZZY BRINGS DRUG-FREE PAIN RELIEF

Vibrations and Ice Packs Combine to Numb the Pain

Trypanophobia or fear of needles affects on average 23 percent of adults in the U.S. Much of this phobia stems from childhood experiences. target=”_blank”>Buzzy, an innovative drug-free, pain management device is trying to help patients overcome this fear. Buzzy provides local pain relief using high frequency vibration and ice packs. As needlestick phobia often comes from a fear of pain, it is only logical that providing a treatment for pain can ease people’s anxieties.

Dr. Amy Baxter, a pediatrician, had been seeking a drug-free and sustainable way to treat pain when she came across the idea for Buzzy. Her original eureka moment came when she was driving home from a night shift and discovered her hands were numbed by the vibration from the steering wheel. This numbed sensation could be increased further by applying an ice pack. This became the essential idea behind Buzzy.

The palm sized device blocks pain “by manipulating the physiology of ‘gate control’ with high frequency vibration and ice packs”. It works much in the same way as running cold water on a burn does. The final shared “pathway for sharp pain to the brain is shut out by the nerves that transmit cold and vibration senses”. Buzzy has been shown to be effective in treating pain related to aches, repetitive injuries, botox and injections. So far, it has been very successful, receiving the Georgia Bio Top Innovation Award 2014, among others.