Low Intensity Permanent Magnets in the Treatment of Chronic Lumbar Radicular Pain

Abstract

We assessed the pain-relieving efficacy of static magnetic fields produced by 200 Gauss (G) magnets compared with 50G magnets in a double-blind, randomized, two-phase crossover study in patients with chronic lumbar radicular pain. The surface field strengths of the magnets were 200 and 50G. Phase I included four random periods of two-week duration: two periods with 200G, one period with 50G, and one period of "no treatment." The magnets were positioned either vertically or horizontally in standard lumbosacral elastic corsets. Phase II consisted of two five-week periods with the most effective magnet from Phase I and its corresponding 50 or 200G device. The primary outcome was average daily leg pain score (0-10 scale) in each period of Phase II. Thirty-eight of 40 randomized patients completed Phase I, and 28 of 31 Phase II participants completed the study. In Phase I, pain scores did not differ significantly between 200 and 50G magnets. Phase II average leg pain scores tended to be lower with 200 vs. 50G magnets (3.2+/-2.1 for 200G vs. 3.9+/-2.2 for 50G magnets [P=0.08]) after excluding one unblinded patient. The relative treatment effect of the 200G magnets appeared to increase throughout the five-week period. Although these data cannot rule out a chance effect, the positive trends suggest that larger, longer-duration, sham-controlled trials with 200G magnets be considered in patients with chronic lumbar radicular pain.

The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of management strategies for sciatica: systematic review and economic model

“…167,215,[261][262][263] Three of these studies compared alternative therapy with an alternative intervention. 167,215,261 The types of interventions being compared are presented in Table 79a.…”

“…262,263 The types of alternative therapy compared are listed in Table 79b, but the findings of these studies are not considered any further.…”

Non-Surgical and Surgical Treatment of Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease in the Course of Peripheral Neuropathy

“…It consists in exposing live tissue to an alternating magnetic field, which causes changes in the ionic balance. The result of that is a very positive change in metabolism, which is used widely in treating medical conditions such as chronic low back pain (Khoromi et al 2007). …”

Static magnetic field therapy: methodological challenges to conducting clinical trials

“…Khoromi et al (2007) describe their choice of magnet strength for treating patients with lumbar radiculopathy: ''The 200 G surface field strength was chosen so that the static field at the level of the nerve roots was *20 times the ambient magnetic field of the earth, that is 5-10 G, in accord with field strengths that have reportedly relieved pain in published studies.'' Magnet material composition.…”