Magnetic Insoles Make No Difference For Those Suffering From Foot Pain
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - They are very hot products on the Internet - magnetic insoles that are being marketed as a way to help with foot pain. They're designed for people who stand a great deal at work and have foot pain as a result. But do they work?
The biggest study of its kind was conducted in Minnesota. In that study researchers provided inserts to people with foot pain and gave others plain insoles with the appearance that magnets were in there. Thirty-three percent of people in the magnet group, and 32% in the non-magnet group said they felt better. Essentially no difference.
The result of the study is that there is no doubt an insole can help in about a third of the cases, but overall, the magnets don't make any significant difference.
The best part of the study was that neither group could tell if they had magnets or not which made the results easy to defend.
