Electricity can heal wounds three times as fast (2023)
27 comments
·October 16, 2025tcherasaro
simmerup
WHat were the side effects?
froobius
Without a twin with the exact same injury and no intervention, to compare with, we don't know from this whether it was just the six extra weeks of healing that made the difference.
fluoridation
I mean, GP did open up by saying it was an anecdote, not that it was evidence that electrotherapy work.
georgeburdell
20 years ago when I was an undergrad I was studying the effect of electric fields on the chemical vapor deposition growth of (material du jour). Electricity turned what was a natural, random process, into one where we could direct the growth this way and that way. We didn't measure whether the growth rate was enhanced, but it's not surprising to me that a similar effect might show up all over the place to help speed along a natural process, because at the boundary, progressive chemical reactions isn't like stacking legos, it's like adding some, then taking a few away, then adding some more, and so on.
makeitdouble
Yes. The healing nature of electricity was a well known effect [0], what this study brings to the table is more accuracy on how fast and how much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcurrent_electrical_neurom...
UI_at_80x24
I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't significant cross-over with this[0] observation of plant-roots growing faster when exposed to low-voltage electricity.
wrs
And electric bone healing stimulation. [0]
[0] https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.20...
Bender
Will there be a ELI5 how-to for DIY'ers? Or perhaps a non-rx device sold at Walmart and Amazon for DIY'ers.
rpmisms
I can't read, so I will be using a cattle prod on my broken arm
bregma
Instructions unclear: cattle prod is now going to require an embarrassing visit to emerg to remove.
RajT88
Cattle prods are expensive. Use a fireplace lighter. Much lower project cost.
observationist
spoken[loudly and slowly, since they can't read] Open science citizen research is awe inspiring. Thanks for contributing to humanity's progress, you are a true hero!
Eupolemos
That sounds like some obscure Fallout idiot savant member-berry :D
Bender
I have both a cattle prod and a TENS-7000. I assume there may be different voltages and pps that work best on different wounds and there must be a database that would be used to track results for everyone that self experiments. One study only applies to its small set of masochists. I would like to see the numbers evolve over time from more masochists so we can share each others pain, pleasure and recovery. Also the best places to stick it and results of different molecules to work in conjunction with the TazeMeBro-20000. e.g. Terrasil3X vs Max strength Desitin vs other off-label options and other supplements. Diabetics seem to prefer Terrasil3X. The step-by-step guide should have videos of unclothed people configuring and applying the TENS to every possible wound location.
makeitdouble
You could probably repurpose an electric face massager ?
carlosjobim
Get an electric blanket and sleep cozy and warm on cold nights, while the electromagnetic field revigorates your body and your soul.
You also save on your heating bill.
AaronAPU
It seems odd that cells wouldn’t naturally move in the right directions with some purpose. Which makes me wonder if their purpose is just not understood and these faster healing wounds might have some yet unknown downside.
pedro_caetano
They do move 'naturally' in the right direction if you think of a cell and it's membrane it can be loosely abstracted as a dielectric material and like any other dielctric can be polarized.
The issue with diabetes is that over time periphery blood supply becames problematic which means healing takes way longer, sometimes never healing at all leading to necrosis (dead tissue).
So you could argue that 'accelerated healing' tissue is a poorer grade tissue by some metric, e.g. connective tissue is not as flexible or strong etc. But in diabetic wounds the alternative to 'accelerated healing' tissue could literally be an amputated limb.
aeternum
There is evidence from flat worms that electric fields is how cells naturally move in the right directions with purpose. However they produce the fields chemically via ion gradients.
There's a very cool researcher who used this method to create flatworms with heads (or tails) on both sides. https://www.cell.com/biophysj/fulltext/S0006-3495(17)30427-7
IMO the issue is with unhealthy people, things like poor circulation reduces the body's ability to produce the natural ion gradients and thus why the external electric field helps.
mnadkvlb
Michael Levin's labs, where this research is going on, showed organ (eg. eyes) regeneration etc. I really hope these guys are going in right direction regarding regeneration based on electric fields as a proxy for gene expressions.
altruios
Maybe a randomized walk is the optimal healing algorithm barring any directive force? A local maximum. It can use the endocrine signaling though... and other directive signaling. So maybe those wear with time?
Maybe not just any electric signal will do, maybe frequency and amplitude are a factor as well. A 'healing signal'.
Curious research. We'll see what becomes of it.
spidersouris
> The project was recently granted new funding so the research can get to market and benefit patients.
How is it now? Has this been extended to real use outside of research?
glial
See also: "The Body Electric: Electromagnetism And The Foundation Of Life"
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-body-electric-rob...
alex1138
So Frankenstein was right?
amelius
In other news:
> EPFL researchers have demonstrated the first pill-sized bioprinter that can be swallowed and guided within the gastrointestinal tract, where it directly deposits bio-ink over damaged tissues to support repair.
I can supply my own anecdata here.
I recently went through 6 weeks of PT for injured tendons / tendinitis in my arms with 0 results.
The therapist suggested we try dry needling + electric stimulation for another 6 weeks. So we did that and I recovered 90% in the second 6 weeks of therapy.
There were side effects but they were minimal and completely gone now.
It looked a little like this except on my arms:
https://youtube.com/shorts/pTEPMgDdy2A?si=MSx7YnmUbApsigWe
I was skeptical but sold on the benefits and relieved to have an effective therapy option to fall back on when it happens again as it does every couple years. Unfortunately, my insurance doesn’t pay for it.