LI Woman Gets Relief From Her Pain In Groundbreaking Clinical Trial

MASSAPEQUA, NY — Dawn Steiner suffered from debilitating pain for decades, but the Massapequa resident finally got relief.

Steiner, 58, enrolled in a groundbreaking clinical trial at Northwell Health's Center for Bioelectronic Medicine in Manhasset to improve her quality of life.

"I have rheumatoid arthritis. I developed that about 15 years ago," Steiner told Patch. "I literally went to bed one night; I was fine. I woke up the next morning and I could hardly move."

Bedridden and with a long-term failure of eight traditional medications, Steiner was searching for a cure to her pain.

The clinical trial uses a vagus nerve implant and harnesses bioelectronic medicine, a revolutionary field using electrical stimulation to modulate the nervous system and treat disease.

Steiner, a speech pathologist, researched it and spoke to the doctor before joining the trial group.

"It did not seem any less scary to me, so I decided to give it a shot," she said. "It's been very successful for me."

The implanted device automatically vibrates one minute every day, usually at 5 a.m.

"I have a charging device that goes around my neck. I wear that for a half-hour a week," Steiner said.

Within a week, Steiner started to notice an improvement.

She had the nerve implant surgery two years ago, and Steiner is expected to be followed in the trial for a few more years. Feeling the stimulation early on, Steiner knew she was in the control group.

"I'm so thrilled. I feel as good or better than I felt since the diagnosis," Steiner said.