Magnets Show Promise in Treatment of Pain
March 1998; Volume 1: 35-36
Source: Vallbona C, Hazlewood CF, Jurida G. Response of pain to static magnetic fields in postpolio patients: A double-blind pilot study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1997;78:1200-1203.
A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted in the postpolio clinic of a large rehabilitation hospital with 50 patients with diagnosed postpolio syndrome who reported muscular or arthritic-like pain. To determine if the chronic pain frequently presented by postpolio patients can be relieved by application of magnetic fields applied directly over an identified pain trigger point, the authors applied active or placebo 300-500 Gauss magnetic devices to the affected area for 45 minutes. The outcome was scored on the McGill Pain Questionnaire.
Patients who received the active device experienced an average pain score decrease of 4.4 ± 3.1 (P < 0.0001) on a 10-point scale. Those with the placebo devices experienced a decrease of 1.1 ± 1.6 points (P < 0.005). The proportion of patients in the active-device group who reported a pain score decrease greater than the average placebo effect was 76%, compared with 19% in the placebo-device group (P < 0.0001). The authors conclude that the application of a device delivering static magnetic fields of 300-500 Gauss over a pain trigger point results in significant and prompt relief of pain in postpolio patients.
COMMENT
Postpolio syndrome is rare, but arthritic pain from degenerative arthritis and myofascial pain from cervical arthritis, among other processes, are not. This randomized, placebo-controlled trial using magnets slightly stronger than the ones on refrigerators across America was done without a grant or insurance benefit, and its hypothesis was carefully tested.The most common location of pain was the sacroiliac joint, but "whether the pain was of myofascial or arthritic nature, it seemed to respond equally well to the static magnetic field." Pain was assessed before and after magnet applications without other follow-up. No patient reported any discomfort; patients greater than 140% of ideal body weight were excluded from the study, as subcutaneous fat overlying a trigger point was hypothesized to interfere with the distance between the skin and the trigger point and the magnet’s action.
The mechanism of pain relief in bioelectromagnetics is unknown. Other researchable issues include "dose-response . . . duration . . . simultaneous application on several areas . . . size and shape of magnets . . . cost-effectiveness." The NIH Office of Alternative Medicine has funded investigators at the University of Virginia studying the magnet treatment of fibromyalgia.
Recommendation
This impressive small trial is one of the first of its kind and needs to be developed into a larger, full study. These initial scientific data suggest that magnets are not quackery, and deserve a much closer look for chronic pain. March 1998; Volume 1: 35-36You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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