Many professional athletes use Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field (PEMF) therapy to help improve their performance and for faster post-match and injury recovery. Recognised for its benefits in enhancing athletic performance, as well as recovery and reducing downtime, PEMF has been one of the best-kept secrets in professional sports for many years.
Professional athletes involved in the Tour de France, the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the US Olympic Team, Major League Baseball and professional tennis benefit from PEMF Therapy. Roger Feder has quietly been using PEMF for many years.
The coach for the United States Olympic swimming team for six straight Olympics, Richard Quick, was a very early proponent of PEMF therapy for his athletes. He has stated that PEMF is possibly one of the most extraordinary technologies that he has ever seen. He found that prior to competition, PEMF therapy loosened up and relaxed the athletes. Therefore, they were able to compete at a better level of performance due to an increased range of motion, increased oxygenation along with a reduction in pain and stiffness.
“Lying in a magnetic field helps the overexerted muscles and tissues to recover more quickly. We studied the effect and both the lab results and the athletes themselves confirmed that the capacity for regeneration improved.” Dr. Beat Villiger, Manager of the Swiss Olympic Medical Team.
The major benefits of PEMF therapy are:
- Eliminates lactic acid faster to reduce soreness, muscle spasms and cramping
- Reduces inflammation for faster recovery from injury and athletic performance
- Increases circulation, oxygenation and blood flow
- Optimises performance potential (stamina 20%, strength 10%)
- Increase flexibility and range of motion
- Prevention of long-term injury effects
- Enhances mental clarity, focus and concentration
- Improves aerobic workout capacity & flexibility
- Improves sleep
How PEMF Works for Athletes
There have been many studies on the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on red blood cells, which transport oxygen and carbon dioxide. Healthy red blood cells are essential for athletic performance and endurance. As a matter of fact, they are one of the key factors.
PEMF therapy has been found to reduce a condition referred to as “sticky blood syndrome” where red blood cells can stick together in clumps. This condition is also called the Rouleaux effect.
In a study by the Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, as published in In Tech Open (2012), just two red blood cells stuck together can reduce cellular efficiency by 71%. Eight or more cells stuck together can reduce oxygen absorption by up to 50%.
Reduced oxygen intake, water and nutrient absorption, along with carbon dioxide and affected toxin elimination can reduce overall athletic performance significantly.
Every human cell is like a battery with a negative inner charge and a positive charge on the outer cell membrane. If the outer cell membrane doesn’t have a high enough charge, then the cells can stick together. Similar charges repel each other, but if the charge isn’t at or above a specific threshold, then the red blood cells stick together.
Sticky blood or the Rouleaux effect is the result of the body not having a high enough cellular charge or voltage to keep the cells separated. This is also a direct indication of the pH of the body being too acidic. The Rouleaux effect is found in every one of all ages, whether you are feeling well or sick.
Before PEMF Therapy
After 10 mins of PEMF Therapy
After approximately a ten-minute PEMF therapy session over the whole body, the charging pulsed electromagnetic waves separate the red blood cells by increasing their bioelectrical potential. Once the red blood cell’s charge potential meets or exceeds the necessary threshold, then the red blood cells simply separate. This increases the efficiency of circulation, oxygenation and general overall energy.
The effect of PEMF therapy on athletes can last approximately four to six hours, depending on lifestyle, body hydration and various other individual lifestyle variables along with specific individual metabolic dynamics. This is very comparable to charging a battery on one level. In reality, it is charging the body’s bioelectrical potential.
Bioelectricity and the corresponding fields it generates are one of the fundamental governing agencies within the body. Michael Levin’s research at Tufts University has led him to state that bioelectricity is the ‘spark of life.’
The bioelectrical potential or the level of this potential controls and regulates the efficiency of many biochemical processes. The body’s metabolism, growth, regeneration, healing, reproduction, etc. are all dependent on the overall state and level of the bioelectrical and electromagnetic potentials within the body.
PEMF therapy is one of the most effective and efficient ways to increase the bioelectrical potential within the body. One part of the efficiency is that the electromagnetic waves of PEMFs reach every cell in the body if you are using a full-body PEMF mat. Nothing is as thorough as electromagnetic waves, which penetrate and charge every cell in the body. Light or sound therapy only goes so deep into the body. The pulsing waves induce microcharges within every cell and literally charge the cells with a higher bioelectrical potential or a higher voltage. A higher potential equals a higher metabolic efficiency, which is what all athletes strive to attain.
Increasing the electromagnetic potential of the nerves and muscles enhances performance, reaction times, agility, recovery and longevity in any sport. Look at Roger Federer who has been using PEMF for many years.
Another important note is that healthy and optimum tissues can only be created and sustained in an environment that has a sufficient and consistently high enough threshold of bioelectrical potentials. Regular use of PEMF therapy ensures this.
Low-intensity and low-frequency PEMF Therapy generates a safe and non-invasive wide-band electromagnetic field that resonants with all the cells in the body. Low-intensity PEMF systems match the intensities and frequencies of the body’s cells. This creates coherence and improves the overall energy level or bioelectrical potential without any side effects.
Increasing the bioelectrical potential of the body induces a multitude of physiological processes. This improves circulation, increases oxygenation of the blood, ATP production and quicker elimination of metabolic wastes to improve recovery. The body’s natural healing and regeneration powers are increased by 20% to 30%.
Quick regeneration and injury recovery are one of the most important factors in sports today, especially in competitions that are repeated on a regular basis. Please click below to book a treatment today!