Competitive athletes, both professional and amateur, strive to do their very best in every competition. Not only do they give every game/event they’re all, but they also train hard, constantly pushing the limits of what their bodies can do. This intense training can result in injury. Even when it doesn’t, muscles need time for enhancement and recovery, and recovery time eats up valuable training time.
PEMF therapy can be used before and after athletic competition as part of a training and recovery routine. Professional athletes and top level amateurs, including Olympic athletes, have used PEMF therapy for more than three decades.
PEMF therapy is non-invasive and not considered to be “doping.” The Sport Journal , popular among athletes, discussed the use of magnetic therapy for athletic performance, and concluded “Whatever the findings or claims, there appears to be no harm from magnetic therapy. This probably makes it attractive to some athletes who are weary of the adverse effects of other products or procedures.”
What researchers have studied
Researchers have studied PEMF in many areas, including pain in fibromyalgia1, blood pressure in older adults2, inflammation and tissue repair3, motor function in a case report on Parkinson’s disease4, and oxidative stress in nerve cells5 and bone cells6 grown in the lab. Many of these studies were small or done in the lab, and none of them looked at athletic performance.
Athletes who travel frequently, especially internationally, can take a portable PEMF device with them and keep their routine going on the road.
PEMF and athletic performance
Brain stimulation is acceptable in both Olympic competition and most professional sports. Unlike illegal “doping,” no chemicals are entering the body. Instead, a PEMF device uses pulsed magnetic fields that pass through the body.
A 2017 article7 discussed research suggesting that brain stimulation using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (a strong pulsed magnetic field applied to the head) may speed motor learning in sports. That research used clinical TMS equipment, not a portable PEMF device.
PEMFs and Recovery
On the recovery side, small placebo-controlled studies have found that post-exercise muscle soreness eased faster with PEMF10, 11. These studies used other PEMF devices and settings, not FlexPulse.
Researchers have also studied PEMF in injuries and long-term pain. One animal study looked at how PEMF at different frequencies and durations affected rotator cuff tendon-to-bone repair in rats.8
And a randomized, double blind trial9 looked at a low-frequency magnetic field in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
FlexPulse for Training and Recovery
A PEMF session is easy to build into a regular training and post-workout routine.
A small, portable, battery operated PEMF device like FlexPulse is ideal for active athletes, especially those who travel a lot. It is lightweight and flexible, and the coil pads can be placed on different parts of the body.
Many professional and Olympic athletes use PEMF therapy routinely in their training and recovery.
For athletes, a PEMF system is a versatile investment, since it fits into so many different routines.
The FlexPulse PEMF device is a powerful, wearable device that can be applied while on the go. Ten preset programs range in frequency from 3 Hz to 1000 Hz, so you can pick the one that suits your routine.
References
1 . Sutbeyaz S, Sezer N, Koseoglu F, Kibar S. Low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field therapy in fibromyalgia: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical study. Clin J Pain. 2009;25(8):722-728. [PubMed]
2. Rikk J, Finn K, Liziczai I, Radák Z, Bori Z, Ihász F. Influence of pulsing electromagnetic field therapy on resting blood pressure in aging adults. Electromagn Biol Med. 2013;32(2):165-172. [PubMed]
3. Aragona S, Mereghetti G, Lotti J, Vosa A, Lotti T, Canavesi E. Electromagnetic field in control tissue regeneration, pelvic pain, neuro-inflammation and modulation of non-neuronal cells. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2017;31(2 Suppl. 2):219-225. [PubMed]
4. Jensen B, Malling A, Morberg B, Gredal O, Bech P, Wermuth L. Effects of Long-Term Treatment with T-PEMF on Forearm Muscle Activation and Motor Function in Parkinson’s Disease. Case Rep Neurol. 2018;10(2):242-251. [PubMed]
5. Osera C, Amadio M, Falone S, et al. Pre-exposure of neuroblastoma cell line to pulsed electromagnetic field prevents H2 O2 -induced ROS production by increasing MnSOD activity. Bioelectromagnetics. 2015;36(3):219-232. [PubMed]
6. Ehnert S, Fentz A, Schreiner A, et al. Extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields cause antioxidative defense mechanisms in human osteoblasts via induction of •O<sub>2</sub><sup>-</sup> and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):14544. [PubMed]
7. Gazerani P. Performance Enhancement by Brain Stimulation. J Sports Sci Med. 2017;16(3):438-439. [PMC]
8. Huegel J, Choi DS, Nuss CA, et al. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy at different frequencies and durations on rotator cuff tendon-to-bone healing in a rat model. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2018;27(3):553–560. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2017.09.024
9. Thomas AW, Graham K, Prato FS, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial using a low-frequency magnetic field in the treatment of musculoskeletal chronic pain. Pain Res Manag. 2007;12(4):249–258. doi:10.1155/2007/626072.
10. Jeon HS, Kang SY, Park JH, Lee HS. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on delayed-onset muscle soreness in biceps brachii. Phys Ther Sport. 2015;16(1):34-39. [PubMed]
11. Kouzaki K, Nakazato K. Pulsed electromagnetic fields attenuate human musculocutaneous nerve damage induced by biceps eccentric contractions. Bioelectromagnetics. 2025;46(1):e22525. [PubMed]
