Pulsed Shortwave (Electromagnetic) Therapy For Headache Pain

Researchers continue to look for non-invasive treatments for headache and migraine, and pulsed shortwave therapy may be one of the candidates.

Pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT), less precisely known as electromagnetic pulse therapy, is one of many pain-related therapies that have been around for many years. PSWT has been used on injuries and sore muscles with some success. And now researchers are asking if headache patients may benefit as well.

Most of you probably know that headaches are not necessarily about sore muscles. But this is not muscle therapy, like physiotherapy that makes your muscles twitch. In fact, patients using this particular device, known as ActiPatch, don’t typically feel any vibration or even heat – ideally, the pain just starts to dissolve.

It’s “pulsed” not because you feel a pulse, but because the shortwaves are turned on and off. They’re actually off more than they’re on, and so the “mean power” is very low.

Although, like most devices, we’re only starting to understand why it works, a working theory is that is works on the cellular level. PSWT may actually help to “fix” cells that aren’t operating properly, this returning them to normal, healthy function and alleviating your symptoms. For more, here is a short description of Pulsed Shortwave Therapy.

ActiPatch itself is already on the market, with good reviews, for back and muscle pain (check out the ActiPatch Muscle and Joint Pain Therapy Device). Now researchers are talking about a headache version, which will target nerves in the head, to see if it could cut down or eliminate migraine symptoms over time.

If you’re in the United States, you may qualify to be a part of the study. You must be over 17, with 3 or more migraine attacks per month. For more information and contact information, visit Migraine Prevention Using ActiPatch (PSWT).