#Research & Development

2021-09-09

Study data indicates that CELLIANT may increase grip strength in subjects with chronic wrist and elbow pain

CELLIANT®, infrared responsive technology from materials science trailblazer Hologenix, has completed its 9th peer-reviewed published study. Already clinically shown to increase tissue oxygen levels in the body for stronger athletic performance, faster recovery, better sleep and to help with pain reduction and inflammation, CELLIANT is shown in this study to increase grip strength when used in armbands on people with chronic wrist or elbow pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, epicondylitis (commonly known as tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow or baseball elbow) or arthritis.

The study was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial containing 68 people. It was just published in the Research Journal of Textile and Apparel.

"Results of 9th Peer-Reviewed Published Study of CELLIANT®, the Flagship Product of Hologenix, a Materials Science Innovation Company, Published in Research Journal of Textile and Apparel"

The 68 subjects, both males and females aged 21 or older, had a six-month history of chronic wrist or elbow pain. They were tasked with wearing an armband (35 with real CELLIANT and 33 with the placebo fabric) on the affected wrist or elbow for at least 12 hours per day for 14 days. Grip strength was measured by a dynamometer before and after the two-week study.

CELLIANT technology is a patented process for adding micron-sized thermo-responsive quartz, silicon oxide and titanium oxide particles to fibers, in this case polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers. The resulting CELLIANT yarns were woven into armbands containing either 42% CELLIANT PET (active) or zero CELLIANT PET (placebo). They were produced using a seamless construction with either type of yarn.

The CELLIANT yarns absorb body heat and re-emit the energy back to the body as infrared radiation, which is non-invasive. In this study they were found to be effective in increasing grip strength.

The mean grip strength percentage increased over two weeks by 7.8% for the placebo group and 16.8% for the CELLIANT group. No adverse effects were observed.

According to the study, “CELLIANT armbands appear to be effective in painful upper limb inflammatory disorders, and further studies are warranted.”

The study also concludes that CELLIANT armbands are easy to wear, cost-effective and have not been shown to produce any adverse effects, so there should not be any barrier to widespread use. It also suggests that while other types of textile technology might be used to produce IR-emitting fabrics, that likely the most efficient way to produce such fabrics is by incorporating ceramic particles into the polymer fibers from which the fabric is woven, as with CELLIANT technology.

The protocol for the study was approved by the IRB of Southern California Institute for Research and Education and registered at clinicaltrials.gov. Ian L. Gordon of Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System in Long Beach, Calif., participated in the conception and design of the study, carried out subject recruitment and data collection and took part in the statistical analysis.

Seth Casden, Hologenix Co-Founder and CEO, participated in the conception and design of the study, provided materials and funding, and helped draft the manuscript.

Michael R. Hamblin of the Laser Research Center, University of Johannesburg – Doornfontein Campus, Doornfontein, South Africa, wrote the manuscript and critically reviewed the data. Hamblin, who serves on the Hologenix Science Advisory Board and is a world-renowned expert on infrared and light therapy, was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.