Cellphone towers amplify pain in amputees

CREATING A BUZZ

For years, retired Maj. David Underwood noticed that whenever he drove under power lines and around other electromagnetic fields, he would feel a buzz in what remained of his arm. When traveling by car through Texas’ open spaces, the buzz often became more powerful.

“When roaming on a cellphone in the car kicked in, the pain almost felt like having my arm blown off again,” said Underwood, an Iraq War veteran who was injured by an improvised explosive device. “I didn’t notice the power lines, cellphones on roam or other electromagnetic fields until I first felt them in my arm.”

Until a recent study led by researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas was published online last month in PLOS ONE, there was no scientific evidence to back up the anecdotal stories of people, such as Underwood, who reported aberrant sensations and neuropathic pain around cellphone towers and other technology that produce radio- frequency electromagnetic fields.

“Our study provides evidence, for the first time, that subjects exposed to cellphone towers at low, regular levels can actually perceive pain,” said Dr Mario Romero- Ortega, senior author of the study and an associate professor of bio- engineering in the University’s Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. “Our study also points to a specific nerve pathway that may contribute to our main finding.”

Most of the research into the possible effects of cellphone towers on humans has been conducted on individuals with no diagnosed, preexisting conditions. This is one of the first studies to look at the effects of electromagnetic fields ( EMFs) in a nerve- injury model, said Romero- Ortega, who researches nerve regeneration and builds neural interfaces — technology that connects bionic or robotic devices to the peripheral nerve.

After interacting with Underwood, Romero-Ortega decided to study the phenomena that Underwood described.

The team hypothesised that the formation of neuromas — inflamed peripheral nerve bundles that often form due to injury — created an environment that may be sensitive to EMF-tissue interactions.

“Many believe that a neuroma has to be present in order to evoke pain. Our model found that electromagnetic fields evoked pain that is perceived before neuroma formation; subjects felt pain almost immediately,” Romero- Ortega said. “My hope is that this study will highlight the importance of developing clinical options to prevent neuromas, instead of the current partially effective surgery alternatives for neuroma resection to treat pain.”

THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST STUDIES TO LOOK AT THE EFFECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS IN A NERVE- INJURY MODEL The study provides evidence, for the first time, that subjects exposed to cellphone towers at low, regular levels can actually perceive pain