Image Credit: Mainstay Medical
An exploratory Australian study published in the European Spine Journal examined whether Mainstay Medical’s ReActiv8 restorative neurostimulation changes lumbar multifidus muscle composition. Among 45 participants with complete measurements, ultrasound analysis found a lower estimated connective-tissue proportion at L3 after six months. Other examined levels showed no comparable change. ReActiv8 stimulates the medial branch of the L2 dorsal ramus to produce multifidus contractions.
The finding offers a possible mechanistic clue, but does not establish reversal of muscle fibrosis. The ultrasound method has not been validated against histology, and the study lacked a control group. Changes in the imaging measure were not linearly associated with improvements in pain, disability or quality of life.