Highlights:
- A small, controlled pilot study followed 21 women with fibromyalgia for 8 weeks, comparing low-energy PEMF (TEPT) to a placebo treatment.
- Women receiving PEMF reported much larger pain reductions, including about a 31-point greater drop in VAS pain scores than the placebo group.
- PEMF users also showed stronger improvements in fibromyalgia symptom burden, with Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and Symptom Severity scores improving far more than in the placebo group.
- Measures of daily function and quality of life (FIQ, SF-36) also trended in a positive direction, although not all changes reached statistical significance.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can significantly reduce quality of life—and unfortunately, it doesn’t always respond well to medications. But new hope may be on the horizon. A recent pilot study explored the use of low-energy Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy to ease symptoms of fibromyalgia, and the results are encouraging.
The study involved 21 women with fibromyalgia who received either PEMF-Triple Energy Pain Treatment (TEPT) or a placebo over the course of 8 weeks. Researchers evaluated their pain levels and quality of life using well-established tools like the Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).
The results? PEMF-treated patients showed significantly greater improvements than the placebo group:
-
Pain reduction was striking, with a 31-point greater drop in VAS pain scores.
-
WPI scores dropped by nearly 13 points in the PEMF group, compared to just 2 in the placebo group.
-
Symptom Severity scores also improved significantly.
While improvements in overall function and quality of life (measured by FIQ and SF-36) didn’t quite reach statistical significance, the trend was still positive.
Figure 1. Patients receiving the active treatment had a deep reduction of WIP (-76% vs -13% in placebo) with a statistically significant difference compared to the placebo group (p=0.0025).
Bottom line: This small, controlled study suggests that PEMF-TEPT is safe and potentially effective in reducing fibromyalgia symptoms—especially pain. More research with larger groups is needed, but for those struggling with fibromyalgia, PEMF may offer a promising new path to relief.
Reference: Giovale M, Novelli L, Rampoldi S, et al. Low-energy pulsed electromagnetic field therapy reduces pain in fibromyalgia: a randomized single-blind controlled pilot study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2020; 79 (1):1776.