Pain is a complicated physical and emotional experience. Suffering pain can affect your life in so many ways. It can affect daily activities, the ability to do things that you love, and simply enjoying life. There are various ways to ease your pain, and technology can offer novel ways to fill the gap between pain medications, injections, and surgery. New generation pain relief devices based on technological advancements may help you to reduce and often eliminate pain.
Pain relief devices put the power to manage your pain in your hands. They are easy to use, non-invasive, painless, and require no doctor appointments or medications. They do not contradict other treatments and can add to your regular pain regimen.
To help you choose the pain relief device that is right for you, we have compared two home-use devices utilizing different technologies: The Quell device and Solio Alfa Plus.

[For other comparisons check out Tendilite vs Solio Alfa Plus and Omron vs Solio Alfa Plus]

Man applying Solio Alfa Plus on his right knee

Quell device and Solio Alfa Plus

The Solio Alfa Plus and Quell devices both aim to assist users to reduce or eliminate pain and improve their quality of life. Some of the advantages that the Solio and Quell products have in common:

• Self-administered

• Easy to use

• Portable

• Lightweight and compact

• Non-invasive

• Painless

• No need for prescription

• Drug-free

• No side effects

Technology for pain relief

Home-use pain relief devices utilize various mechanisms to gain pain relief, such as electrical stimulation, light therapy, and radiofrequency.
The Quell device and Solio Alfa Plus differ in the type of mechanism they utilize. The Quell device is a TENS unit which utilizes electrotherapy. Solio Alfa Plus, on the other hand, uses radiofrequency (RF) and light therapy.

Quell Device

Quell is a TENS device. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) technology sends low-voltage electrical current to the skin to create nerve stimulation and trigger pain relief. The pulse’s intensity can change and increase until the user feels a strong sensation and a decrease in pain.
Electrotherapy is produced by a small, battery-powered device that delivers electrical impulses to the affected area to stimulate the nerves. TENS Quell delivers the electrical stimulation through a wearable band that is placed on the upper calf to trigger pain relief response in the leg, foot, and knee.

Solio Alfa Plus Device

Solio Alfa Plus utilizes 3 energy sources: radiofrequency (RF), IR, and LLT, with IR energy including both infrared and red light. The advanced 3-E technology offers the patented synergy of three energy sources to provide optimal results. Studies on Solio Alfa Plus have shown it to be effective at relieving and treating pain.
Radiofrequency (RF) current is a low-energy, high-frequency alternating current that has been used for decades in pain treatment. Light Energy technology emits various types of energy, in this case, IR and LLT. Energy safely penetrates the skin and body tissues at the site of pain, where it stimulates healing, treating the symptoms and causes of the pain while relieving the sensation of pain.
Bipolar Radiofrequency (RF) Energy – Deeply penetrating and reaching the muscles and joints. RF energy blocks sensory nerve cells, eliminating or significantly reducing pain. At the same time, swelling is neutralized and reduced. Oxygen and nutrients are drawn to the affected area through increased blood circulation, and collagen production increases, causing the shrinking and tightening of cells, which improves joint stability and healing.
Infrared (IR) Heat Energy – Dual Optical energy is a combination of Infra-Red and red spectrum light for the treatment of skin pain and stiffness.
Low Light Laser Therapy (LLLT) Energy – LLLT can treat pain and temporary inflammation, as well as help release muscle spasms.

Through the patented synergy of 3-Energy sources, Solio Alfa Plus offers pain relief and treatment for a wider variety of issues, with each of the 3 energies directed at a different depth within the body. Solio’s energy sources produce a heat of up to 44 °C (111°F) and penetrate 11-30 mm into the skin, not only offering pain relief but treating the source of pain.
Solio’s therapy is produced by a small, battery-powered device, placed anywhere on the body, above the area of pain to trigger pain relief response and treat the source of pain.

Solio Alfa Plus vs. Quell TENS Unit

	Solio Alfa Plus	Quell device
Radio Frequency	Yes	No
InfraRed	Yes	No
Soft Laser (LLLT)	Yes	No
Red Light	Yes	No
Therapeutic Penetration	25mm / 1 inch	Electric pulses, no penetration
Heat	Up to 44 °C / 111°F	No

Areas of Treatment

Solio Alfa Plus is a handheld device placed above the area of pain. It can help relieve various symptoms of pain, such as chronic back pain, chronic neck pain, and chronic joint pain. It may also help to alleviate the pain that results from various conditions such as period pain, elbow sports injury, post-surgery pain, arthritis, endometriosis, and other conditions.
The Quell device is quite different. Worn on the upper calf, it is designed to help relieve knee pain and may also help with leg and foot pain.

Therapy sessions

The length of home therapy sessions varies by device.
Quell: Sessions last 30-60 minutes and should be repeated multiple times a day. With Quell’s wearable device, sessions can also take place overnight.
Solio: Sessions last 15-20 minutes for maximum pain relief benefits, once a day per area.

Safety

Solio Alfa Plus is safe to use for everyone. It penetrates the body without causing any damage or pain and does not result in a sensation of excess heat on the skin. The Quell device is generally considered safe, but according to the Quell device website, it is not recommended for “people with a cardiac pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, or other implanted electronic device.” In addition, TENS units are often not recommended to people who suffer from heart problems, epilepsy or pregnant women.

FDA Clearance

The Quell device is FDA-cleared, as is Solio Alfa Plus.
Quell can be used during the day or during sleep.
Solio is the first RF pain management device to be FDA-cleared for pain relief.

Quell Pain Relief Reviews & Solio Alfa Plus Reviews

Customer reviews of Quel report pain relief and help with pain control, while others do not find it helpful or worse.

Solio Alfa Plus customers report great pain relief, and doctors recommend it. Athletes use Solio, like Dudi Sela, #1-ranked tennis player in Israel, who is treated with Solio for pain relief and joint healing therapy by his physiotherapist.

Conclusions

Solio Alfa Plus and Quell pain relief devices both aim to help people reduce pain and the intake of medications, and enjoy a better quality of life.
Both Quell and Solio are home-use devices that are easy to operate. However, the Quell device is wearable and designed to help only the leg, knee, and foot, while the Solio Alfa Plus device is placed over the site of pain and is designed to treat various types of pain and conditions located in different parts of the body. As for the pain relief technology, Solio offers 3 energy sources and deeper penetration to treat the site of pain, while Quell offers 1 energy source that stimulates the nerves. The various applications, combined with the 3-E system and deeper penetration, enhance Solio’s pain relief benefits.

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Quell Device Compared to Solio Alfa Plus