Electromagnetic therapy combined with physical therapy significantly reduced disability in stroke survivors, preliminary research has found.
The therapy, called electromagnetic network-targeted field therapy (ENTF), stimulates specific connections in the brain with electromagnetic pulses.
An analysis of two small clinical trials suggests that the treatment is safe and may be effective in reducing overall disability after stroke.
Neural networks show electrical disorganisation after a stroke. The therapy stimulates these networks with electromagnetic pulse patterns to help re-establish normal network organisation.
Jeffrey L. Saver, lead study author and distinguished professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said: “This therapy has shown beneficial effects upon organised brain electrical activity and, most importantly, was associated with improved functional recovery for patients after stroke.”
Researchers examined the combined data from two double-blind, randomised, controlled studies to characterise the potential effects of the treatment on reducing disability after ischaemic stroke.
In double-blind studies, both participants and researchers do not know who received actual versus placebo or sham treatment.
Ischaemic stroke is caused by a blockage cutting off the blood supply to part of the brain.
In total, 124 stroke survivors were included in the analysis: 65 were treated with the therapy, and 59 received an inactive or sham treatment.
Participants were enrolled in the study on average 14 days after their stroke and were moderately to severely disabled.
The average modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score was 3.9 at enrolment. The modified Rankin Scale is a measure of disability ranging from 0, meaning no symptoms, to 6, meaning death.
All participants received 40 to 45 sessions of treatment or sham treatment over eight to 12 weeks, and both groups received physical therapy during the stimulation sessions.
In both trials, participants began treatment in hospital and continued with at-home treatments using portable kits.
Participants were assessed for overall disability and their motor and cognitive abilities after three months of treatment.
The analysis found the percentage of participants who achieved freedom from disability was 22 per cent higher in the treatment group compared to the group that received the sham treatment, at 33.8 per cent versus 11.9 per cent respectively.
Measurable improvements were also seen in participants’ disability levels across the full range of outcomes, with both less moderately to severe disability (mRS 3-5) and less moderate disability (mRS 2).
No serious adverse effects were reported among participants who received the treatment.
Professor Saver said: “It’s clear that we need more effective rehabilitation therapies to fully improve patient outcomes.
“This promising potential therapy is unique in that it would be able to be conducted at home by the stroke survivor using a portable kit.”
The main limitation of the study is that it is an analysis of data from two small pilot studies. A single, larger trial is needed to confirm these results.
The study included 124 adults who had an ischaemic stroke, and a baseline mRS of 3.9, indicating moderate to severe disability. Participants’ average age was 58 years and 31 per cent were women.
Data were derived from two double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trials conducted between 2021 and 2025. Researchers combined the individual patient data into a single meta-analysis.
Participants in these two trials were randomised to receive either treatment or a sham treatment between four and 21 days after stroke. Both groups also received physical therapy as part of their stroke rehabilitation care.
The findings are considered preliminary and have not been peer-reviewed.
