Magnet Therapy – Can It Help Treat Chronic Pain?

Do you know that 13% of defendants out of 5000 defendants selected for a survey were found suffering from chronic pain? Yes, chronic pain has become a common health issue due to the hectic lifestyle, especially in metropolitan cities. The unpleasant feeling due to health issues like arthritis, infections, cancer, injuries, psychological health issues, and other environmental factors has left people with mild to severe pain for longer periods. But is prescribed medication sufficient to treat the pain? Wait, have you heard about magnetic therapy for chronic pain? This blog answers all your queries about it.

Magnetic therapy is an alchemy substitute for modern medication. It is highly used to eliminate diseases and impurities from the body. The therapy possesses health benefits that range from chronic pain to cancer treatment.

Let’s learn in detail about magnetic therapy, its health benefits, and how it helps treat chronic pain.

What is Magnetic Therapy for Pain Relief?

As mentioned above, magnetic therapy is one of the alternate solutions or treatments that include the use of magnets for reducing chronic pain to improve healing. Health practitioners use magnets to improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation in the body. The therapy is widely used for the treatment of back pain, headaches, and arthritis with the help of electromagnetic fields. The main concept behind magnetic therapy is to balance the magnetic field in the body molecules like potassium and calcium.

Different types of magnets used for treating chronic pain

For decades, magnets, or magnetic therapy, have been used for treating chronic pain. The treatment is carried out through different types of magnets that help in obtaining relief from inflammatory conditions, wounds, and pain. So, which magnets are used for the treatment? Let’s take a look.

1. Permanent or Static Magnets

Static magnets are made from alloys or metals. They might be strong, moderate, or weak; however, the magnetic fields of static magnets are always on without any change. In the therapy, the magnets are placed near or on the area having pain for healing or relief. Static magnets used for healing purposes are mostly covered in a wrap that is placed on the area near or on the area where the pain is sensed. Hence, they are available in products like wristbands, mats, jewelry, bed pads, and even pillows. Again, it should be noted that the use of static magnets for chronic pain is limited.

2. Electromagnets

Electromagnets, on the other hand, allow the user to make changes in the intensity of the magnetic fields when passing electric current. A wire coil that contains magnetic material is used to pass electric current during the treatment. The electromagnetic devices are used for healing purposes only. Some of the electromagnets used for healing or pain include PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy) and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation. Electromagnets are proven to be effective for patients suffering from pain like musculoskeletal pain, osteoarthritis, depression, migraines, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc., and are a safer option to treat the pain as well.

Are magnets really helpful with chronic pain?

According to research studies, there are no conclusive reports that prove static magnets are effective for pain relief. However, there are shreds of evidence of positive results when using electromagnet therapy for pain. Let’s look at both the therapy results.

1. Electromagnetic Therapy

According to research, electromagnetic therapy has proved to be effective against musculoskeletal pain. It also helps in improving functions in people suffering from osteoarthritis, knee pain, chronic mechanical neck pain, shoulder impingement syndrome, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, patellofemoral pain, hand osteoarthritis, and plantar fasciitis. Again, during the research, it was also concluded that the electromagnetic therapy didn’t show further pain relief when used with other therapies like therapeutic ultrasound, TENS (transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation), and hot packs.

2. Static Magnetic Therapy

According to a review taken in 2021, mixed results were obtained when static magnetic therapy was used to cure pain like sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, plantar heel pain, fibromyalgia, pelvic pain, forearm and wrist pain, shoulder and neck pain, etc. The review was taken with different strengths and dosages of static magnets, which also had a huge impact on the variation of the results.

In short, it can be concluded that both treatments have mild to major impact on chronic pain like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, shoulder pain, complex regional pain syndrome, mouth and jaw pain, menstrual pain, carpal tunnel syndrome pain, cancer, pain due to chemotherapy, paresthesia pain, and multiple sclerosis.

Is it safe to use magnets for chronic pain?

Be it static magnet therapy or electromagnetic therapy, both of them are safe to use when treating chronic pain. Studies have marked minimal to zero side effects of using magnetic therapy. However, there are certain precautions you need to learn about before initiating the treatment. Here is the list you shouldn’t miss out on.

• Some magnets have restricted use when combined with other medical devices like insulin pumps and pacemakers
• Pregnant women, lactating women, and people with other health issues need to consult the doctor before going for magnetic therapy
• Make sure to remove braces, necklaces, magnetic bracelets, etc. from the body before going for an imaging process like an MRI
• Don’t use any magnets that are easily available with the prescription of the doctors rather than visiting a healthcare practitioner for chronic pain or any other health issues
• Magnetic therapy should not be used for people suffering from cancer, fungal and virus infections, hyperthyroidism, and active bleeding

It should also be marked that the magnetic devices or static magnets should be kept away from the children, as they might accidentally swallow or inhale small magnets, resulting in dangerous situations including death.

Conclusion

Wrapping up the content, magnetic therapy has surely given positive results in reducing chronic pain and improving the functions post-healing. Its main aim is to improve blood circulation in the area with pain and ease inflammation. No doubt, the examination continues, but magnetic therapy is a promising treatment for people looking for solutions to wide-ranging health issues.