By Cristina Cuomo
I have had hip pain for years and have tried many anti-inflammatories, both herbal and pharmaceutical. While they work well enough in the short term, the pain always comes back. While looking for a more permanent solution, I came across PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field) therapy. Used primarily for pain management, PEMF therapy delivers high-intensity, short-duration electromagnetic pulses of energy that safely penetrate the body’s cells and allow them to deliver oxygen more efficiently. This improved cell function can significantly boost a person’s own immune system, allowing more rapid healing.
PEMF therapy has been used for decades, perhaps most prominently by doctors at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to help astronauts recover from bone-density loss and muscle atrophy after extended periods of space travel. For those of us on Earth, that translates into helping rebuild bone for osteoporosis patients; it also helps to heal bone fractures as well as torn muscles. By introducing more oxygen into those damaged areas, the body is able to regenerate and repair bone and tissue at a more rapid rate, while reducing inflammation and pain.
Essentially, it not only reduces the pain caused by the injury, but can help heal the injury itself. PEMF therapy has been studied extensively by research scientists around the world on an assortment of common chronic ailments such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and neuropathy. Hands-on physicians have successfully used PEMF to accelerate healing of acute (non-chronic) conditions such as bone fractures, joint sprains and post-operative inflammation. Even depression can be treated by the PEMF machine, current research shows; there is also promising research on such debilitating neurological conditions as Parkinson’s.
I walked into STANDwellness in Water Mill to try the PEMF for myself. A nice gentleman led me into a calm room with ethereal music playing, and helped me onto a comfortable, ergonomically correct mat/bed. He started me on one setting and over the course of the hour changed the placement of the accessories (a large square pad and a set of round paddles) on different parts of my body. I felt extremely relaxed and at one point even feel asleep. When the hour was up, I was given an electrolyte beverage and told to drink a lot of water that day. As I swung my legs over the side of the table, I was surprised to find that I did not experience that all-too-familiar zing of pain in my hip. When I stood up, I still found that I had no pain.
I was informed that PEMF works best when the treatments are repeated: 51 hours for a deep chronic condition and 12 hours for a lighter injury. Typical treatments last either 30 or 60 minutes and can have multiple benefits, ranging from pain relief to increased energy to improved sleep. PEMF Therapy is available at STANDwellness in Water Mill, NY.