Can magnetic pulses rebuild strength in aging bodies?
NCT ID NCT07834697
First seen Sep 22, 2026 · Last updated Sep 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether pulsed electromagnetic field therapy can improve physical function in older adults with frailty and sarcopenia, conditions marked by muscle loss and weakness. The trial enrolls 100 community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 80 who meet criteria for sarcopenia or frailty. Participants receive 24 sessions of either active or sham magnetic therapy over the lower limbs, and researchers measure changes in walking speed, balance, muscle strength, and blood markers of muscle health.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pulsed electromagnetic field therapy delivered by a magnetic therapy device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-drug, non-exercise option to help older adults with frailty and muscle loss move better and stay independent.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early, small study with 100 participants, so any benefits may be modest or not hold up in larger trials. The therapy is non-invasive, but its effects on muscle and frailty are not yet established.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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60 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria (1) Voluntarily sign the informed consent form; (2) Aged 60 to 80 years, male or female, residing in the community and having stable living conditions for the past 6 months; (3) Meet the AWGS 2025 diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia in Asia or have a Fried frailty phenotype score of ≥3; (4) Baseline TUG test time \>10 seconds; (5) Have basic walking ability, able to complete a 10-meter walk independently or with the assistance of an aid; (6) Able to understand and comply with the study procedures. Exclusion Criteria (1) Subjects with implanted electromagnetic-sensitive active devices, such as cardiac pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, vascular stents, vena cava filters, nerve stimulators, insulin pumps, etc.; (2) Subjects with edema in the lower extremities caused by various reasons; (3) Subjects with skin lesions, infections, ulcers at the intervention site, or conditions such as lower extremity trauma, unhealed fractures, severe joint lesions, diabetic foot, limb defects, etc., which prevent safe walking or intervention; (4) Subjects with metal implants such as metal prostheses, steel plates, bone screws, etc. in the lower extremity region, which may affect the safety of intervention; (5) Subjects with severe mental illness, cognitive impairment, dementia, or abnormal consciousness, who are unable to cooperate with the study; (6) Subjects with severe heart, lung, liver, kidney, or other organ failure or advanced malignant tumors, with limited expected survival, who are unable to complete the study process; (7) Subjects who have participated in other clinical trials within the past 3 months; （8）or who, in the comprehensive judgment of the researcher, have other conditions that make them unsuitable to participate in this study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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