times, and now a new study has found that they can reduce swelling when
applied immediately after an inflammatory injury.
In their
initial study, researchers from the University of Virginia set out to
investigate the effect of magnetic therapy on microcirculation, which
is blood flow through tiny blood vessels.
They placed magnets of
70 milliTesla (mT) field strength, which is about 10 times the strength
of the common refrigerator magnet, near rats’ blood vessels and found
that they dilated constricted blood vessels, and constricted vessels
that were dilated. The results suggested that the magnetic filed could
relax blood vessels and increase blood flow.
In the more recent
study, the researchers used magnets on rats’ paws that had been treated
with inflammatory agents to simulate tissue injury. The magnets
significantly reduced swelling in the rats’ paws by up to 50 percent
when applied immediately after the injury.
Dilation of blood vessels is a major cause of swelling, and it’s thought that the magnets worked by limiting blood flow.
Muscle
bruising and joint sprains are the most common injuries worldwide, and
since injuries that don’t swell heal faster, the magnet therapy could
have widespread applications.
The researchers envisioned using
magnets in place of ice packs and compression to treat injuries in high
school, college, and professional sports teams, as well as among
retirement communities.
Sources: Science Daily January 3, 2008
American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology November 2, 2007
