Low Back Pain  Acupuncture  Herbal Medicine  Magnetic Therapy  Manual Therapies  Movement Therapies  Nutritional Approaches Complementary Approaches Magnets While there is anecdotal evidence and a few pilot controlled studies suggesting placing magnets over sites of pain and inflammation may provide symptomatic relief, the research in low back pain is insufficient to make recommendations. The one published pilot study showed no significant results. This used bipolar permanent magnets in 20 patients with chronic low back pain. No differences were found between the real magnet and the sham magnets in terms of severity of pain, emotional components of pain, or physical response to pain (Collacott, 2000). The typical low-moderate gauss magnets available to the consumer for back pain treatment are usually sewn into a supportive back brace, which may have benefits in and of itself. While both costs and risks are low, and there may be some possibility of benefit not yet proven, this therapy is not without risks to some. More...