Tiny disc holds huge potential for arthritis sufferers

Researchers are pinning their hopes on a small disc becoming a new cure for rheumatoid arthritis.

The implant, about the size of a 20c coin, is currently being trialled in Europe with promising results, by changing signals from the body's nervous system to east inflammation.

The implant hacks into the vagus nerve which sends messages between the brain and major organs.

Firing electrical signals which reduce the activity of the spleen, the immune system's regulator, meaning it produces fewer chemicals which cause joint inflammation.

The device is switched on by waving a magnet over the skin, and after just three minutes a day, arthritis patient Monique Robroek claims the pain and inflammation is gone.

"I've got vibration in my voice, maybe you'll hear it," Ms Robroek said.

"I have a normal life back and I go biking again, I walk with the dog."

Of the 20 patients involved in the trial in Amsterdam, more than half improved and around a quarter no longer have any symptoms.

For the 500,000 Australians who suffer rheumatoid arthritis, it may become the drug-free option they need.

If approved, creators of the device are hopeful it will be widely used within the next decade.