A stroke is usually a life changing event. Once you have a stroke you lose the motor, speech, and cognitive abilities. This is caused by damage to brain cells hence loss of functionality. Traditional therapies such as physiotherapy and speech therapy produce limited results. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMFT) is here to change that. It leads to faster and significant recovery.

Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy for stroke recovery / neurorehabilitation

Research on PEMF has come a long way. A lot of skepticism about its benefits caused research to be slow by pharmaceutical industry, but many scientists , doctors and universities have conducted extended research on it since last 3 decades. In 2013 scientific papers published results showing PEMF therapy had significant effects on brain functioning; this stimulated massive research in the field. As a result, PEMF therapy should be included for Ischemic or cerebral stroke rehabilitation. Speech therapy and physical therapy together with PEMF have been shown to produce better results too.

PEMF can be used as a tool for repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). The great news is that PEMF can be used long-term and is lower-power, so it’s safer and easier alternative to expensive TMS therapy.

TMS therapy involves exposing the part of the brain affected by the stroke with strong electromagnetic waves repeatedly. The exposures are, however, limited to less than three hours per session to avoid damaging normal brain cells. When starting the therapy intense sessions of two hours are done. As improvements begin to become apparent, sessions are reduced to just 20 minutes.

PEMF therapy on the other hand, is safer and can be done at home, while providing similar results long-term. For the best results, PEMF frequencies are tuned to delta-state to allow higher quality recovery using a process known as brainwave entrainment.

This article on Buzzfeed directly compares PEMF vs TMS vs DBS (Deep brain stimulation)

Benefits of PEMF therapy for Stroke Rehabilitation

With the benefits PEMF, it is surprising to know it is not yet widely used.

During research, it has been shown that it reduces brain cell damage and stroke disability by 90%. To attain this, however, Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy should be started immediately after the stroke.

Speech is usually the first to recover. This is due to the ability of the electromagnetic waves to stimulate neurons regeneration. With reinstated communication physical therapy gets easier. The patient is able to explain how he feels and what part of the body has more pain. This gives therapists ability to tailor physical therapy to suit the needs of the patient. Additionally, the patient’s quality of life increases as they feel more relaxed and less pain. They are able to communicate with friends and family who provide the much needed emotional support for even faster recovery.

Motor function is reinstated faster when using the therapy. This is achieved by exposing the opposite side of the brain in relation to the affected limbs to the waves. This is because the motor function is controlled by the opposite side of the brain. Physiotherapy and massage should be done after PEMF sessions for even faster recovery.

Chronic strokes are a problem for some individuals. PEMF’s neuroprotective role prevents such a condition. This means that parts of the brain not affected by stroke are resistant to it.

The good thing about PEMF is that it can be used at all stages of the disease. PEMF therapy adds to overall calmness and brain cell stimulation. Improvements using PEMF therapy has been documented in cases of stroke that had occurred a long time ago.

Better yet, PEMF can be easily be the best treatment. This is because it has no side effects at all. When properly administered; for the right time and using the proper frequencies, studies have not shown any harm related to it.

PEMF devices for Stroke Rehabilitation

Many brands of PEMF devices are available today. Below are two examples of some of the best PEMF systems, however we do not claim or suggest they be used for treating any medical condition. If you want to get your health back in shape after having an ischemic stroke, you should consider a PEMF system. The only guarantee and claim that most brands provide is that the machine works as intended, i.e, it creates the magnetic fields as advertised.

Most well-known among them is the BioBalance. BioBalance provides PEMF devices at budgets that are affordable. They come with a full money-back guarantee, which is really sweet of them, as you can return the device if it fails to provide results. That doesn’t seem to be happening often, or they wouldn’t have such as offer. Their customer support is great and provides good information when asked about how to get the best results when using their PEMF therapy devices.

Another up-coming brand is the FlexPulse. It is smaller and quite efficient too. It’s a great wearable device quality but the BioBalance provides full-body coverage. FlexPulse also provides quite good customer support for users and ships worldwide. Both systems are easy to use and most effective with maximum amount of positive user feedback.

A stroke does not have to mean the end of normal life. With PEMF therapy you will be able to recover faster. You can get the therapy at a PEMF clinic in your town or purchase a PEMF device to be used at home. Work with it and your physiotherapist or chiropractor together!