How are electromagnets used in attempts to treat pain? Electromagnets were approved by the FDA in 1979 to treat bone fractures
that have not healed well.2,
Researchers have been studying electromagnets for painful conditions,
such as knee pain from osteoarthritis, chronic pelvic pain, problems in
bones and muscles, and migraine headaches.3,9-12
However, these uses of electromagnets are still considered experimental
by the FDA and have not been approved. Currently, electromagnets to treat
pain are being used mainly under the supervision of a health care provider
and/or in clinical trials.
An electromagnetic therapy called TMS (transcranial
magnetic stimulation) is also being studied by researchers. In TMS, an
insulated coil is placed against the head, near the area of the brain
to be examined or treated, and an electrical current generates a magnetic
field into the brain. Currently, TMS is most often used as a diagnostic
tool, but research is also under way to see whether it is effective in
relieving pain.13,14 A
type of TMS called rTMS (repetitive TMS) is believed
by some to produce longer lasting effects and is being explored for its
usefulness in treating chronic pain, facial pain, headache, and fibromyalgia
pain.15,16 A related form
of electromagnetic therapy is rMS (repetitive magnetic
stimulation). It is similar to rTMS except that the magnetic coil is placed
on or near a painful area of the body other than the head. This therapy
is being studied as a treatment for musculoskeletal pain.17,18 |