Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by joint hypermobility and skin extensibility and is often accompanied by chronic pain. Rhythmic sensory stimulation (RSS) can be defined as the stimulation of the senses in a periodic manner within a range of low frequencies. Music plus sound delivered through a vibroacoustic device is a form of RSS and has demonstrated utility in managing pain. In this current study, we conducted an open-label pilot study of 15 patients with hypermobile EDS using RSS as the intervention. Posttreatment improvements were seen in 11 of the 15 patients (73%), whereas 3 of the 15 patients (20%) experienced worse outcomes. Of the 14 patients that completed the experiment, 6 participants (43%) were classified as “responders” to the device while 8 participants (57%) were classified as “nonresponders.” Responders demonstrated significant improvements in pain interference (51.5 ± 16 preintervention vs. 43.5 ± 16.4 postintervention BPI score) and depression symptoms (34.0 ± 15.9 preintervention vs. 26.8 ± 12.1 postintervention CESD score). Poststudy interviews confirm the improvements of pain interference, mood, and bowel symptoms. Furthermore, analysis of medical conditions within the responder group indicates that the presence of depression, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia may indicate a greater likelihood for patients to benefit with vibroacoustic applications. These results indicate a possible potential for RSS, delivered using a vibroacoustic device, in managing pain-related symptoms. Further research is necessary to elucidate the exact mechanism behind the physiological benefits of RSS.

中文翻译：

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有节奏的感觉刺激对Ehlers-Danlos综合征的影响：一项初步研究

Ehlers-Danlos综合征（EDS）是一种结缔组织疾病，其特征在于关节活动过度和皮肤可延展，通常伴有慢性疼痛。节奏感官刺激（RSS）可以定义为在低频范围内以周期性方式对感官的刺激。通过振动声学设备传递的音乐和声音是RSS的一种形式，并已显示出在控制疼痛方面的效用。在本研究中，我们使用RSS作为干预措施，对15例活动过度EDS患者进行了开放标签的先导研究。15名患者中有11名（73％）观察到治疗后改善，而15名患者中有3名（20％）的预后较差。在完成实验的14位患者中，有6位参与者（43％）被分类为该设备的“响应者”，而8位参与者（57％）被分类为“无响应”。响应者表现出疼痛干预（干预前BPI评分为51.5±16 vs.干预后43.5±16.4）和抑郁症状（干预前34.0±15.9 vs干预后CESD评分26.8±12.1）有显着改善。研究后访谈证实了疼痛干扰，情绪和肠症状的改善。此外，对应答者组内医疗状况的分析表明，抑郁症，焦虑症，肠易激综合症和纤维肌痛的存在可能表明患者更有可能受益于声波疗法。这些结果表明，使用振动声设备提供的RSS可能具有管理疼痛相关症状的潜力。