Beyond pain · Healing research

Healing and circulation research on pulsed electromagnetic therapy

Pulsed electromagnetic therapy has been studied in surgical wounds, in the skin cells that close wounds, and in blood vessels. The 3 studies below used other devices, some at different frequencies from ActiPatch®. They are research findings, not uses of ActiPatch®.

ActiPatch® is FDA-cleared for musculoskeletal pain, not for wound care. RecoveryRx®, a prescription-only device, is FDA-cleared for adjunctive treatment of postoperative pain. Published study findings on this technology also include wound healing, which is not a cleared indication for either device. Talk to your clinician about any wound that isn't healing.

For providersIn the provider portal, clinicians prescribe and order RecoveryRx® for post-operative use.For patientsIn their patient account, patients with a prescription order RecoveryRx®.

Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial · 72 women

Less pain and better wound healing after cesarean section

Khooshideh et al., Clinical Journal of Pain, 2017 (opens in a new tab). Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields for Postsurgical Pain Management in Women Undergoing Cesarean Section: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Trial.

What they studied

  • 72 women having a cesarean section were randomly assigned to an active pulsed electromagnetic device or an identical sham device, 36 in each group.
  • Neither the women nor the researchers knew which device each woman had (double-blind).

What they found

  • 36% of women on the active device had severe pain in the first 24 hours, compared with 72% on the sham device.
  • Painkiller use was about 1.9 times lower in the first 24 hours and about 2.1 times lower through day 7.
  • Wound healing at day 7 was better in the active group, with no fluid, redness or swelling.

What it does not show

  • A single trial in one type of surgery, followed for 7 days.
  • Studied with RecoveryRx®, a prescription-only device. ActiPatch® is not cleared for wound care.

Studied with RecoveryRx®, a prescription-only device.

For providersIn the provider portal, clinicians prescribe and order RecoveryRx® for post-operative use.For patientsIn their patient account, patients with a prescription order RecoveryRx®.

Lab study · Human skin cells

Skin cells from slow-healing ulcers closed a gap faster

Costantini et al., Bioengineering, 2024 (opens in a new tab). Pulsed Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields as Modulators of Inflammation and Wound Healing in Primary Dermal Fibroblasts of Ulcers.

What they studied

  • Fibroblasts are the cells that rebuild skin. Researchers took fibroblasts from slow-healing venous leg ulcers and from healthy skin.
  • The cells were exposed to a 27.1 MHz pulsed radio-frequency field from a TSS Medical device. The team measured how fast the cells multiplied and how fast they closed a scratch made across the dish.

What they found

  • Ulcer fibroblasts multiplied faster and closed the scratch "wound" faster after exposure, catching up to cells from healthy skin.
  • The field also changed the levels of several inflammation-related molecules the cells produced (TGF-β, COX-2, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α).

What it does not show

  • Cells in a dish, not people. Lab results do not show an effect in a patient.
  • A different company's device, not ActiPatch®.

Controlled trial · 30 adults · Mayo Clinic

Blood vessel function and blood pressure in hypertension

Stewart et al., Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 2020 (opens in a new tab). Impact of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on vascular function and blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.

What they studied

  • 30 adults with high blood pressure at Mayo Clinic were assigned to a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) device or a control group, 15 in each. 15 and 11 completed the study.
  • The PEMF group used the device 3 times a day for 12 weeks.

What they found

  • Flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how well an artery widens when blood flow increases, improved in the PEMF group only.
  • Systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure fell in the PEMF group. The control group did not change.
  • Nitric oxide levels did not change in either group.

What it does not show

  • A small study with a different PEMF device, not ActiPatch®.
  • The authors say larger studies are needed.

More wound and healing evidence

The wound healing evidence hub lists further wound research, including a narrative review, a lower-extremity wound pilot study and lab work. Every ActiPatch® pain study and survey, with the complete sources list, is on the Science page.

For everyday muscle and joint pain

ActiPatch® is available without a prescription for adjunctive treatment of musculoskeletal pain.

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Educational summary only, not medical advice. ActiPatch® is FDA-cleared (510(k) K192234) for over-the-counter adjunctive treatment of musculoskeletal pain and can be used alongside other treatments. The studies on this page do not add to that cleared use.