Study: Magnets Offer No Clear Benefits for Pain Relief

According to a study published in the most recent issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal Magnetic Pain Relief is not supported by the available scientific evidence.

Max Pittler, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the Peninsula Medical School of the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, did a meta-analysis of the available clinical data showing that there is no significant improvement in pain for people who wore magnets.

Selling magnets as pain relief is a multi-billion industry. However, there is no scientific evidence that they actually work.

Twenty-nine potentially relevant studies in a literature search were found. Of those 4 were only abstracts and or posters, which were not suited for the study and were taken out of the pool. Another 9 studies were excluded because of inconsistent and inappropriate statistical analysis.

That left the researchers with 16 published studies of which only 9 used the same scale to measure pain and pain reduction.

The final nine studies looked at foot pain, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, osteoarthritis and delayed onset muscle soreness.

The meta-analysis of the clinical data of these nine studies showed that, overall, the effect of magnets was not significant. On the visual pain analog scale, the mean difference between the magnet group and the placebo group was 2.1 mm, which was not statistically significant.

Despite the inconclusive results there seem to be only one possible pain that may positively reduced by magnets. According to the study, "Peripheral joint osteoarthritis was the one condition for which the evidence appeared encouraging."

Four studies involved peripheral joint osteoarthritis. In two of them (with 26 and 43 participants, respectively) there seem to be positive effects due of static magnets when compared with placebo A third and larger trial, with 190+ participants showed results that were not different when compared to a placebo. On the contrary side, a small study of 13 people who used magnets t for a 24-hour period for their knee osteoarthritis saw no effect, the study says.

Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative arthritis, degenerative joint disease, is a condition in which inflammation results in pain in the joints. OA is believed to be caused by wearing of the cartilage that covers joints. The OA patients experience pain upon walking and standing.

Despite magnets being touted as good for pain relief there is no conclusive evidence of their effectiveness. This study continues to support the idea that despite being a multi million dollar industry there is no scientific base for defining magnets as a therapeutic alternative for pain relief.

Pittler et al. 2007. "Static magnets for reducing pain: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials." Canadian Medical Association Journal. 177(7): 736-42. URL: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/177/7/736