What’s the deal with the Power Balance Band and are there any similarities with Q magnets? As we explain on our magnetic therapy page, some products claim to influence the energy fields around the body.
There is no research to show that Q magnets affect the body’s energy fields but the original research pioneered by neurologists at Vanderbilt Medical University in the 1990’s does show a credible mechanism of action and a definite therapeutic effect in the treatment of acute, chronic and post-operative pain and chronic dysfunction. This effect is produced by applying the field gradients generated by the Quadrapolar magnets directly over the offending nerves, which interrupts the pain pathway and reduces swelling.
Distributors of the Power Balance Band have given away and paid a number of high profile athletes to use their product. The key difference is that Q magnets are used by the medical staff of a number of professional teams including the Queensland Reds, Brisbane Lions, Western Force, Fremantle Dockers and highly respected sports physiotherapists such as Peter Stanton. The Brisbane Lions have used Quadrapolar magnets for over 7 years which would hardly be considered a fad.
I happened to be with a major sporting team just after they had handed out the power balance band to everyone like candy. All the players were sporting the new band, but they didn’t last long. This is what you call a fad.
None of the endorsements or testimonies on the Q magnet website have been paid for. The only exception could be motocross rider Steve Sommerfeld who is sponsored by Lifestyle Therapies for his physiotherapy treatment and Q magnets mainly because his sport can provide opportunities to test the effectiveness of the devices and you can see some of these effects for yourself.
Clinical experience has demonstrated that Q magnet therapy can be incredibly useful for injury recovery and for acute and chronic pain but we have never claimed they should be used for performance enhancement in healthy individuals. People selling the Power Band have demonstrations they use to support their claims of performance enhancement, but there is obviously more to this than meets the eye.
As was the case with this physiotherapist who had the devices applied in front of a group of physiotherapists at a Q magnet in-service; these devices work whether or not you think they will or they won’t.
What makes Q magnets unique? They produce a steep field gradient that cell studies show have a definite effect on nerve cells when compared to common bipolar magnets and they are powerful enough to penetrate into the body and envelope the target tissues. Magnetic field gradients are a very complex topic, they were the final piece in the puzzle in the development of the MRI for which the inventors won a Nobel Prize. At the cutting of science is the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, it contains 392 large electromagnetic quadrapole magnets.
The first clinical trial on the Power Balance has been published. The title is “The effect of close proximity holographic wristbands on human balance and limits of stability: A randomised, placebo-controlled trial”. Try this link for the abstract.
See recent news articles on Power Band.
