San Francisco, California-based Hinge Health Inc., a Digital MSK (musculoskeletal) Clinic™, has acquired ENSO, the maker of High Frequency Impulse Therapy (HFIT) technology.
Hinge Health Adds to Chronic Pain Treatment Portfolio
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Hinge Health is a company that reduces “MSK pain, opioid use, and surgeries by pairing advanced wearable technology with a comprehensive clinical care team.” ENSO’s pain relieving product complements Hinge Health’s portfolio.
Founded in 2014 with a goal of solving chronic pain, ENSO developed a device that helps to “solve persistent pain without drugs or surgery.” The ENSO HFIT™ is a wearable, wireless device that “can be worn anywhere on the body.” It is commonly used to treat pain in the low back, neck, knee, hip, shoulder, hand, and foot. A typical user with chronic pain may use the device for up to four hours per day to get pain relief. Over time, the device adapts to the user which leads to “improved pain relief.”
The device may benefit all individuals, including those seeking a return to work. According to the company, ENSO “has been shown to help members on long-term leave return to work sooner.” Further, ENSO is “covered for workers’ compensation–related claims.”
“Combining Hinge Health’s Digital MSK Clinic with ENSO’s non-invasive high-frequency impulse technology opens a new world of pain management. Now Hinge Health’s members can access the same clinically effective solution we’ve recommended to thousands of our own patients,” said Amitabh Gulati, M.D., director of the Chronic Pain Fellowship at Cornell’s Weil School of Medicine and president of the World Academy of Pain Medicine.
How does this non-opioid solution deliver almost immediate pain relief? According to the ENSO website, the ENSO HFIT “delivers electric pulses with high frequency components which have been shown in nerve ion channels studies to deliver a nerve block-like effect.” It also “delivers non-noxious stimuli using low frequency electrical pulses which deliver paresthesia and stimulate the release of endogenous opioids to reduce pain.”
Hinge Health Co-Founder and CEO Daniel Perez, Ph.D. told OTW, “Our ENSO acquisition is the latest proof point as to why 4 in 5 employers with a digital MSK solution have chosen Hinge Health. We have 10x more capital than anyone else in this space and are committed to continuing to pioneer our category.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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