Effects of a Magnetic Pain Relief Patch on Gait Variability in Adults: A Preliminary Study

Purpose:The usefulness of magnets for pain management has been demonstrated in several studies, but no studies have evaluated their impact on gait variability.Therefore, this study investigated the effects of a magnetic pain relief patch (MPRP) on gait variability in adults.Methods: In 10 men and women in their 20s, MPRP was attached to 18 bilateral lower limb muscle areas (biceps femoris, gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis, rectus femoris, soleus, semitendinosus, tibialis anterior, vastus medialis, and vastus lateralis) for 24 hours.Gait parameters collected from the accelerometer sensor were ground contact time, cadence, stance phase, swing phase, double support, stride length, and swing width, and were analyzed as gait variability.Data analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signedrank test.Results: Significant differences were found in the left and right gait cycle time coefficient of variation (CV) (p= 0.047 in left, p= 0.028 in right), cadence CV (p= 0.047 in left and right), and double support CV (p= 0.028 in left and right) before and after attachment of the MPRP.Conclusion: MPRP enhances gait variability and can be utilized as a potential tool to complement noninvasive pain management and rehabilitation strategies.However, further studies are required to prove the long-term benefits and optimal application protocol of MPRP use.