Summary
- The study highlights that impulse specific electromagnetic therapy highly reduces fatigue strength in patients with multiple sclerosis.
- It was also observed that no meaningful effect was associated with the therapies regarding quality of life and depressive symptoms.
- The results support the application as a complementary therapy to specifically target fatigue.
- No negative events were reported across studies.
Main symptoms of multiple sclerosis are chronic and progressive and include inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration of the central nervous system. It often leads to significant disability and impaired quality of life. The most common and daily problem is fatigue. The study reviewed here was aimed to find and summarize the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy of impulse electromagnetic therapy in managing fatigue among patients with multiple sclerosis.
The reviewed study used PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL to identify the randomized controlled trials that compared impulse electromagnetic therapy with fraudulent interventions. The main outcome was fatigue severity. Minor outcomes were identified in quality of life and depressive symptoms.
“Seven RCTs involving a total of 327 participants met the inclusion criteria. PEMF therapy was associated with a significant reduction in fatigue severity compared to sham (SMD -0.23, 95% CI [-0.45 to -0.01], P = 0.04). The studies were homogenous (Chi-square P = 0.97, I² = 0%). For quality of life and depressive symptoms, no significant differences were observed between groups: quality of life (SMD 0.16, 95% CI [-0.13 to 0.45], P = 0.27) and depressive symptoms (SMD -0.07, 95% CI [-0.46 to 0.31], P = 0.70). These outcomes also showed low heterogeneity (P > 0.1).”
In summary the study demonstrated the therapeutic potential of impulse electromagnetic therapy in reducing fatigue severity in multiple sclerosis patients. It is also highlighted that no serious improvements were recorded in quality of life or depressive symptoms. The use case is on reducing fatigue.
Reference
Full reference from: REVIEW ARTICLE Volume 101 106549 September 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2025.106549
“Title: Efficacy and safety of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy for fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis”