Many individuals suffer from nasal congestion, sinusitis and facial pain that drastically decrease quality of life. There has been growing interest in using acoustic energy and vibration therapy to treat such conditions.
This review presents available data assessing the efficacy of sinus vibration therapy (SinuSonic). Studies included in this analysis were evaluated according to clinical and patient global impressions of change.
Reduces Mucus
The four pairs of air-filled paranasal sinuses near the nasal cavity are home to millions of bacteria, viruses, and mold that live there. Over time, this leads to an accumulation of thick mucus that clogs the sinus ostia connecting it to the nasal cavity resulting in poor ventilation and drainage, leading to discomfort as well as pain.
Problematic mucus build-up can be challenging to remove. Current treatment options typically involve nasal spray decongestants – often leading to rebound congestion or dependence – or antihistamines with potential side effects; additionally these medications don’t offer as effective a solution in terms of treating inflammation or aural discharge as more specialized therapies like sinus irrigation, heat therapy or vibration therapies.
Recent research demonstrated that Sonu is an effective, portable drug-free device for alleviating symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and facial pain by administering patient-specific resonant frequency acoustic vibrational energy directly to sinuses. This technology works on the principle that vibrational energy can modify neuromodulators such as adenosine and norepinephrine.
This pilot study involved 14 patients recruited from a tertiary care sleep clinic who presented with moderate-to-severe nasal congestion. They were divided into two groups and given either the Sinusonic device or non-therapeutic, placebo-like treatments twice daily for two weeks, before and after receiving either treatment with Sinusonic. Visual analog scales measuring nasal congestion and breathing ease were assessed prior to and post treatment using Sinusonic. Tabulated data allowed researchers to measure changes in symptoms.
After just one use of Sinusonic, patients reported significant improvements in both congestion and breathing ease, and also displayed a trend toward greater improvement on the SNOT-20 score (severity of nasal obstruction). Researchers caution that while results appear promising, due to small sample size and short duration of study it is difficult to generalize them; thus a larger, multi-institutional randomized controlled trial may be conducted to verify its efficacy; additionally this research was performed in collaboration with a commercial company who provided this device but did not fund this particular research project.
Relieves Pain
Sinus pain is often the result of a bacterial infection, with excess mucus building up inside sinus cavities and leading to swelling that increases pressure, leading to pressure build-up, increasing pressure and leading to further pain. Vibration therapy has been found to be effective at relieving sinus pain by blocking signals sent from your brain telling it that you’re experiencing discomfort. One hands-free device called SinuSonic features small vibrating motors which produce vibrations in front of the face to block these signals. Easy use means this device can be worn during sleep, relaxation or travel!
Treatment for CRS typically focuses on reducing inflammation through nasal irrigation, prescription and over-the-counter decongestants, sinus steroids, balloon sinuplasty and endoscopic sinus surgery. Unfortunately, however, these approaches may not work effectively or cause undesirable side effects in some individuals; excessive use of decongestants may also increase sinus pressure and discomfort, potentially even rebound congestion due to overuse.
Acoustic energy and vibration therapy has been shown to decrease facial pain among CRS patients through various mechanisms. Acoustic stimulation of the nose and sinuses was found to reduce inflammation response and increase secretion of mucus production – both factors which help alleviate symptoms of CRS. Furthermore, yoga breathing exercises that include humming may also help by modulating autonomic inputs affecting nasal mucosa as well as increasing nitric oxide activity levels and therefore relieving symptoms of CRS symptoms.
Therapeutic ultrasound has also been found to decrease upregulation of neuromodulators associated with pain such as substance P and tumor necrosis factor a, as well as remove biofilms from tissue surfaces – two benefits which should prove especially helpful to those suffering from CRS.
Reduces Inflammation
Sinusitis occurs when inflammation causes sinus linings to produce excess mucus that drains into the nose. But when these tissues swell up and block nasal passageways, leading to congestion which then results in runny nose and facial pain. Vibration therapy has proven an effective remedy to soothe inflammation and alleviate symptoms associated with sinusitis.
Studies using acoustic energy have proven successful at treating facial pain and improving CRS. This success may be attributable to its effect on the autonomic nervous system; additionally, this energy may alter neuromodulators within the brain to lessen pain levels further.
There are various methods of using a sinus vibrator. One way is to place it against your cheekbones and gently move it around to stimulate sinuses. Another approach involves immersing the device in hot water with herbs such as thyme, peppermint or oregano sprigs before placing it against your forehead for several minutes – this technique has been reported as helping loosen thick mucus deposits that build up and dislodge them, making for easier removal with breathing techniques or blowing techniques.
An effective third option for sinus massage is using your fingertips. Simply place the thumb and index finger of each hand on the bridge of the nose just above the nostrils, gently stroke up and down along both sides until desired results are seen – try massaging for at least 30 seconds for best results.
Recent literature review on vibration treatment used for sinusitis showed that acoustic energy and vibrational therapy can effectively assist with relieving symptoms by serving as an adjunctive treatment option for this condition. For instance, vibration can reduce congestion symptoms while aiding medication delivery to sinuses – two main themes being explored by researchers using vibration for treating congestion and facial pain and the second being using vibration to enhance drug delivery to nasal cavities and paranasal sinuses respectively – with encouraging results given its clinical setting with limited sample sizes and low levels of evidence available for evaluation.
Helps with Sleep
Sinus pain/pressure is an increasingly costly, burdensome, and debilitating issue, with current treatments offering only partial/temporary relief with possible adverse side-effects. A recent clinical study evaluating a non-pharmacologic nasal device that uses simultaneous acoustic vibration and oscillating expiratory pressure to the sinus cavity found that twice daily use resulted in improvement across various validated pain metrics – visual analog scale (VAS), brief pain inventory-short form (BPI), and McGill pain questionnaire-short form (MPQ) among patients complaining of sinus headache but who did not exhibit objective evidence of chronic sinusitis on physical exam or CT imaging scan.
Subjects were recruited from a tertiary care sleep clinic, all reporting moderate-to-severe sinus headache and lacking objective evidence of chronic sinusitis on clinical examination and/or computed tomography. After instruction to apply the SinuSonic device (Healthy Humming LLC) daily for 3 minutes each time through their nasal cavity for at least three minutes for three consecutive days daily application, posttreatment assessments were completed via electronic survey.
Once they had donned the device, subjects were instructed to inhale through their nose as normal and exhale with increased force (until a flutter sound could be heard) in order to activate acoustic vibration and oscillating pressure; this procedure was repeated several times for each treatment session with guidance provided by a physician as well as any necessary questions answered by them.
At the conclusion of the four-week follow-up period, 70% of subjects achieved a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) on VAS scores and BPI/MPQ measures, suggesting that sinus vibration therapy may be useful in treating sinus headache. Due to small sample size and lack of control group, these results cannot be generalized; however, they are nevertheless encouraging and more research into this device needs to take place using randomized controlled trials in larger scale studies. Disclosure Statement of Authors’ Conflict of Interests: Dr. Bogan owns shares in SinuSonic and runs Bogan Sleep Consultants; he also consults for Jazz Pharmaceuticals as a consultant and serves on their speaker’s board. Furthermore, he reports grants and receives nonfinancial support from Healthy Humming LLC outside his submitted work.
