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Magnetic Insoles No Better Than Regular
Sept. 16, 2003 -- Using a magnetic insole to ease heel pain isn't likely to provide any more relief than wearing regular shoe insoles.
Researchers say an estimated $5 billion has been spent worldwide on magnetic devices, such as magnetic insoles, to relieve pain. But although the products are generally safe, their effectiveness has yet to be shown in scientific studies.
The most common type of magnets used in these devices are static magnets, and researchers say the physiological effects of static magnets on pain are unknown.
Positive and Negative Effects of Magnets
In this study, published in the Sept. 17 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers looked at whether magnetic insoles provided any better pain relief among 101 adults with plantar heel pain.
The participants were randomly given a pair of shoe insoles that either contained an active magnetic foil or one with no magnetic properties and instructed to wear the shoe inserts for at least four hours a day, four days a week, for eight weeks. The patients also kept a pain journal and rated their pain on a 10-point scale with 10 being the highest degree of daily pain.
At the end of the study, both groups reported relief from pain as a result of wearing the insoles. But researchers found no significant differences in pain relief between nonmagnetic and magnetic insoles.
"Both groups used cushioned insoles and both reported subjective improvement in their symptoms; however, static magnets imbedded within these insoles did not provide additional relief," write researcher Mark H. Winemiller, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues.
Each of the groups reported a reduction in foot pain intensity in the morning with average pain scores dropping from 6.9 for the nonmagnetic group and 6.7 for the magnetic group at the start of the study to 3.9 after eight weeks.
By the end of the study, 33% of the nonmagnetic insole group and 35% of the magnetic insole group said they were all or mostly better. Both groups also reported that the insoles improved their enjoyment of their jobs.
"Although many claims have been made regarding the therapeutic use of magnets, our outcomes showed static magnets to be ineffective in the treatment of plantar heel plain," conclude the researchers.
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