Knee pain? Try your ear

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) are exploring a novel treatment for osteoarthritis-related knee pain by stimulating the vagus nerve through the ear.

This research is a collaboration between UTEP, Harvard Medical School, and Boston University.

In a pilot study, 30 participants were treated with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), and 11 reported significant pain relief.

Unlike traditional treatments that focus on tissue damage, this approach targets the body's central pain mechanisms.

While tVNS is FDA-approved for other conditions such as epilepsy and depression, this study is the first in the U.S. to evaluate its effects on knee pain.

The team plans to conduct larger trials to further assess the treatment efficiency in the future.