People spend $500 million a year in the United States on magnetic devices to relieve pain, but little scientific evidence supports their effectiveness. Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, tested whether static bipolar magnets embedded in cushioned shoe insoles significantly reduced foot pain. They compared the insoles with identical nonmagnetized ones. Both types of insoles decreased foot pain on a metered visual analogue scale at four and eight weeks.
Benefits
Foot pain is one of the most common ailments people experience, and many sufferers are tempted to try anything that seems like it might help. That’s especially true of magnetic insoles, which are thin cushions that fit into shoes. They’re marketed in newspapers, in-flight magazines and on the Web, with claims that they ease pain and enhance comfort and energy.
Magnetic insoles are designed to stimulate pressure points on the feet and relieve foot fatigue. They use the principles of magnetic acupressure, which is based on traditional Chinese medicine. Magnets are positioned strategically to target specific meridian points, promoting circulation and reducing foot pain. They also help to alleviate stress on the joints and soft tissues of the feet, resulting in greater flexibility and comfort while standing or walking.
A recent study compared the effectiveness of viscoelastic shoe insoles that included active bipolar magnets with run-of-the-mill cushioned insoles. Participants with plantar fasciitis were assigned to wear the magnetic or nonmagnetized insoles for eight weeks and kept daily pain diaries. At the end of the study, both groups reported significant reductions in pain. But the magnetic insoles didn’t perform significantly better than run-of-the-mill insoles, which are widely available at retail stores and pharmacies for about $20 to $60.
The authors of the study attributed the lack of magnetic-specific benefits to the placebo effect. Patients who believed that the magnets would provide relief responded more positively to the insoles than those who did not. However, the fact that both groups experienced similar pain relief suggests that placebo effects alone do not explain the effectiveness of magnetic insoles for plantar fasciitis.
Developing long-term habits is key to maximizing the effectiveness of magnetic insoles. Successful long-term users gradually increase the duration and intensity of insole use to create sustainable behavior changes. They begin by incorporating them into daily activities, such as walking and light jogging, then transition to using them during longer work shifts or extended activity periods. Tracking progress in terms of endurance and pain levels can help to motivate continued usage. In addition, linking insole use to established morning routines such as coffee preparation or news checking establishes automatic behavioral triggers.
Indications
Magnetic shoe inserts – thin cushions that fit in shoes – are touted in ads in newspapers, in-flight magazines and on the Web. They claim to ease foot pain and increase energy. But they haven’t been subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny. A new Mayo Clinic study, published in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, puts magnetic insoles to the test. It found that static, bipolar magnets embedded in cushioned shoe insoles did not provide any additional benefit for the treatment of plantar heel pain compared with identical nonmagnetized insoles.
Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized trial in 101 adults with chronic plantar heel pain from a multispecialty group practice in Rochester, Minn. Participants were randomly assigned to wear either a pair of cushioned insoles with active magnets or a pair of identical sham insoles for eight weeks. Participants kept daily pain diaries, and at four and eight weeks, they rated their pain on a metered visual analog scale.
The insoles used in the study were manufactured by Spenco Medical Corp., a company that makes a variety of foot health products. They were specially designed to be comfortable, without rigid arch support or acupressure features, which could confound results by acting as their own independent treatments. Both the active magnetic insoles and the sham insoles contained an identical pad of nonmagnetized metal foil. Only patients who strongly believed in the power of magnets reported pain relief, but that was likely due to a placebo effect.
Dosage
Magnetic insoles are thin inserts that fit inside a shoe. They’re advertised in newspapers, in-flight magazines and on the Web. Despite little scientific evidence, they’ve become a $5 billion global industry, with most of the sales occurring in the United States. Some claim to ease foot pain by blocking pain signals and triggering reflexology pressure zones. Others tout a more scientific explanation: Magnets attract iron-rich blood, which increases circulation and warms the feet. Still others promise to boost energy or help people lose weight.
A recent study out of Rochester, Minn., put these claims to the test. The research, reported in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, involved 101 adults who worked in jobs that required them to stand for long periods. The volunteers were randomly assigned to wear either a cushioned insole with active bipolar magnets or an identical insole without them. They kept daily pain diaries for 8 weeks. Both types of insoles reduced plantar heel pain, the researchers report. However, the static magnetic insoles did not provide any more pain relief than the nonmagnetized insoles. “This finding demonstrates that off-the-shelf magnetic insoles do not significantly improve foot pain, even when worn in a clinical setting where subjects know they are receiving the experimental insoles,” says Mark Winemiller, M.D., a Mayo Clinic physician who led the study.
The insoles used in the study were manufactured by Spenco Medical Corp. They had a bipolar magnetic foil pad that was positioned under the arch of the foot. The research team omitted other features, such as rigid arch support and acupressure features, from the experiment because they could have confounded results by affecting how much pain the insoles reduced. At four and eight weeks, most patients in both groups reported that their pain was all or mostly better.
Side Effects
Insoles are often seen as a quick fix for foot pain, fatigue, and posture problems. However, they’re not risk-free. They can cause discomfort, blisters, and joint pain when they don’t fit well or skip the important break-in period. Some can even increase the original discomfort by shifting the pain to another area of the body, such as knees or hips. This is usually a sign that the insoles are too rigid to properly support the feet.
Magnetic insoles don’t provide additional benefits over nonmagnetic ones, according to a new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind experiment in which 101 people with chronic work-related foot pain wore cushioned shoe insoles containing either active bipolar magnets or sham (false) magnets for eight weeks. They kept daily pain diaries and were asked to rate their own improvement in foot pain at four and eight weeks. The results:
Participants in the experiment reported similar improvement in their foot pain, regardless of whether they wore the magnetic or the sham insoles. This indicates that the placebo effect was responsible for the improvements in the pain levels, rather than the actual magnetic properties of the insoles.
The experimenters also found that participants who strongly believed in the power of the magnets had a greater increase in their level of pain relief, which suggests that people may be able to help themselves by simply believing in the effectiveness of the treatment. “This is an important result,” says Dr. Mark Winemiller, a Mayo Clinic physician who led the research. “Placebo controls are extremely valuable in determining the efficacy of pain interventions.”
Although magnetic insoles have not been proven effective in relieving foot pain, there are several reasons to choose them over over-the-counter (OTC) inserts. OTC inserts often don’t offer proper support, which can lead to imbalance or to new areas of pain. A podiatrist can evaluate your specific foot needs and recommend an appropriate insole. Insoles with flexible arch support will be best for flat feet, while those with high arches will need a more rigid design.