Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) http://nus.edu.sg are making the recovery process much easier for patients by using a medical device capable of regenerating muscles in a non-invasive and painless manner. The device “MRegen” makes use of a specific magnetic field to trigger and amplify the biological effects of exercise which then accelerates muscle recovery.
Franco-Obregon Associate Professor at the Department of Surgery at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology at NUS who led the study explained, “The device provides a uniform electromagnetic field to a muscle area at a magnitude and pulse duration which then reproduces the same regenerative, energetic, and metabolic responses as physical activity. The device is especially useful in reducing muscle degradation when physical activity is not possible.”
Two clinical trials were conducted on MRegen between 2015 and 2017. The first human trial examined the effects of MRegen on healthy individuals by giving 10 healthy individuals the magnetic field treatment in either their left or right leg. The researchers found that those individuals receiving 10 minutes of magnetic stimulation by the device once a week for five consecutive weeks showed an average of 30 to 40 percent improvement in muscle strength in both legs.
The second human trial examined the effectiveness of MRegen to accelerate the muscle recovery of patients who had undergone ACL knee surgery. In this trial, 10 recruited patients were given the normal rehabilitation therapy while 10 other patients were treated with MRegen in addition to rehabilitation therapy.
They found that the patients treated with MRegen experienced recovery in muscle size and strength in their operated leg four weeks earlier than those who had undergone only the normal rehabilitation procedures.
The researchers filed a patent for MRegen and have formed a company called QuantumTX to commercialize the device. The researchers also believe that the technology holds promise for slowing muscle loss and helping to maintain healthy muscle metabolism in the elderly as well as helping to maintain muscle mass for professional athletes during times when they are not training. The NUS research team also thinks that the same technology could be used to treat other health conditions such as obesity and diabetes.