It is a non-invasive and safe physical therapy, which exploits the action of electromagnetic waves.
“Magnetotherapy is an instrumental therapy that has existed for many years in the medical-rehabilitation field,” explains Paolo Valli, physiotherapist and pain coach.
“The technological evolutions it has undergone over time have allowed its application in much more varied areas; Initially, in fact, little was used for the treatment of pain and especially for the treatment of osteoarthritis and bone pathologies, in particular to help solve delays in the consolidation of fractures, applying pulsed electromagnetic fields at low frequency for many hours a day.
What is magnetotherapy
Magnetotherapy is a physical therapy, as are tecar therapy, analgesic electrotherapy or stimulation (which is carried out through the use of electrodes), laser therapy (which depending on the therapeutic indication uses different laser technologies), ultrasound, pressotherapy etc.
Magnetotherapy, in particular, exploits the physical action of electromagnetic waves at different frequencies and intensities by mobilizing the positive and negative ions present in the body’s cells.
Already hypothesized by the alchemist Paracelsus in the sixteenth century, the action of magnetic waves on the cells of the organism was observed under an electron microscope in the twentieth century and began to be practiced in physiotherapy clinics since the seventies.
Today it is also used as a rehabilitation therapy for astronauts returning to Earth, after long periods in weightlessness that cause bone demineralization and early osteoporosis.
Various studies confirm its usefulness, in particular in facilitating healing after fractures, favoring the formation of bone callus. But the ability of electromagnetic waves to act on tissues is also used to prevent osteoporosis, against chronic pain, trauma or post-operative, to promote wound healing and resorption of edema.
For this reason it is often prescribed by orthopedists as a complementary care to manual rehabilitation and rehabilitation treatments carried out by the physiotherapist and can be used in all pathologies in which pain, inflammation, functional and vascular deficit is present, with benefits on bones, joints, muscles and circulatory system.
Advantages and benefits
The advantages are numerous, since it is a non-invasive and safe therapy, without side effects, not painful, which can be followed for a relatively long time and even at home (there are low-cost appliances for domestic use or more complex equipment that can be rented for the necessary period).
“The contraindications are few: among these, the presence of cardiac stimulators or pacemakers, being pregnant or suffering from infectious diseases (to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis) and recognized tumor pathologies. On the contrary, hip or knee replacements, nails or other types of aids almost never make it contraindicated» explains Paolo Valli.
The benefits consist in an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving action, in the increase of bone mineralization, in the acceleration of fracture calcification, in the increase of blood circulation and in the improvement of peripheral circulation, in the healing action and in the improvement of skin metabolism.
Among the pathologies in which it is applied we remember:
- arthritis
- arthrosis
- periarthritis
- low back pain
- osteoporosis
- rheumatic diseases
- herniated disc
- muscle pain
- joint pain or rheumatism
- tennis elbow
- Varices
- oedema
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- tingling
- fractures and delays in bone consolidation
- rheumatoid arthritis
- Algodystrophy
- articular cartilage injuries
- fibromyalgia
- osteonecrosis
- Bunions
- cervicalgia
- epicondylitis
- lumbosciatica
- lumbago
- heel
- Lesions
- bedsores or burns
- consolidation of joint prostheses
- arterial disease of the lower extremities.
How does that work
The technique uses magnetic fields, i.e. the forces generated by an electromagnet and the magnetic field generated by it, to restore the biochemical balance of cells and the functionality of the cell membrane.
The cells of the organism also have an electrical charge, due to the presence of atoms with a certain charge (calcium ions, potassium ions, etc.). In case of damage to the cell (due to diseases, aging, inflammation, etc.), the charge is altered, causing consequences on the different tissues: electromagnetic impulses put the biochemistry back into balance, treating inflammation and even pain. The waves are non-ionizing: this means that, even if they exert a physical action on organs and tissues, they are not absorbed.
“The most traditional therapy is carried out by making the patient sit on a bed wrapped in a solenoid, a portion of tube that must be positioned around the part to be treated; The current circulating in the solenoid generates an electromagnetic field and emits low or high frequency electromagnetic waves (or radio frequency) with variable intensity values depending on the pathology. The treatment lasts about half an hour,” explains Paolo Valli.
“Then there are the portable pulsed electromagnetic devices at low frequency that can also be used at home: they are equipped with plates (in which the circuit that creates the magnetic field flows) applied on bands that are positioned in the area to be treated, for example around a distorted or fractured ankle”.
High or low intensity?
Therapeutic magnetic fields are low frequency (between 5-10 and 100-200 Hz) or high frequency (between 18 and 900 MHz). There are pathologies that respond better to the therapeutic effects of low-intensity magnetotherapy, which promotes the regeneration of fabrics and calcium storage, when it is necessary to strengthen the skeletal system and stimulate bone calcification, for example in case of osteoporosis or osteopenia, and to speed up the time of healing from a bone fracture.
For other diseases, however, high-intensity magnetotherapy is indicated, which has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect in cases, for example, of muscle pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel, etc.
| Frequency | Effects | Pathologies that benefit from it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low intensity | Between 5-10 and 100-200 Hz | Promotes tissue regeneration and calcium deposition | Osteoporosis and osteopenia |
| High intensity | Between 18 and 900 MHz | Has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect | Muscle pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel etc. |
There is also “static magnetotherapy” which is carried out by directly applying one or more magnets (small magnets in ferrite, plastoferrite or neodimione, which also exist in the form of a plaster) directly on the part to be treated. “But if the literature on electromagnetotherapy is already limited, on this type of application there is no type of scientific study that demonstrates its rationale and effectiveness”, points out Paolo Valli.
New magnetotherapy techniques
The most recent applications of magnetotherapy exploit new systems that act on other symptoms: “Mats are used that emit magnetic fields at very low intensity (50 microtesla, close to the Earth’s magnetic field) and act on the microcirculation creating a “vasomotion”. The patient is made to lie on this mat, for a systemic effect – that is, general on the body – and ad hoc bands are also applied for specific areas with an increase in local microcirculation», explains Valli.
“This reactivation has an effect both on the musculoskeletal structure, and at the level of the nervous structures and the circulatory system, and therefore it is also useful for treating vasculopathies, swelling and phlebological problems”.
Paolo Valli continues: «Another magnotherapy system of very recent application uses very high intensity magnetic fields, equal to 2.5 tesla (diagnostic magnetic resonances generally reach 1.2-1.5 tesla, but with different frequencies and therefore applicable even in unshielded environments). The first studies seem to confirm an effective action against pain by stimulating the restoration of normal cellular activity, speeding up the healing of an inflammatory process.
This second application allows further purposes: «The stimulation of muscles, for example the quadriceps of a thigh, through a contraction and a sort of passive gymnastics, as an alternative to a “classic” electrostimulation, to facilitate the resumption of movement after a trauma or a surgical operation that has forced a prolonged immobilization, acting simultaneously on tissue metabolism and therefore facilitating the healing of a possible inflammation or injury’.
Frequency and duration of treatment
The number of sessions necessary for the analgesic effect to be carried out varies depending on the pathology and the type of pain: “It can be acute, chronic or associated with other components, such as in fibriomyalgic pain that has a different course than in classical chronic pain. For the bone, the application times are however longer than for other diseases, in classic magnetotherapy it can also reach three months, every day, for more daily hours».
For the most innovative techniques, the time is reduced to 10-20 sessions, once a day. For example, for the treatment of pain, in acute care the protocols provide 5-6 therapies once a day, while in chronic pain it reaches up to 10 three times a week.
Magnetotherapy can be carried out in clinics and rehabilitation departments of hospitals, in private clinics or by the patient at home.
“In the case of long times and daily or night-time therapies, the patient can in fact rent the equipment and make only the first applications with the physiotherapist who explains the correct way to perform them independently. These are obviously indicative parameters, which may vary on a case-by-case basis. The cycles may also be repeated periodically throughout the year.”
Magnetotherapy devices to be made at home can be found in pharmacies and orthopedics and electromedical stores. In any case, you always need a prescription from your general practitioner or a rehabilitation specialist.
“Further studies are needed to understand how and how magnetotherapy can assist medical and rehabilitation therapies. As well as to understand the difference in effects and effectiveness that can generate the different technologies used, low or high power”, concludes Paolo Valli.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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