Laura’s Pen gives her thoughts on the Oska Pulse pulsed electromagnetic field therapy device for chronic pain…
Let me be straight here. I love the Oska Pulse. The week before I started using the device was the worst week of pelvic pain in my life. The week after? There was a glimmer of hope.
I want to go into more detail about what the device actually is and some of the pros and cons of it before I start going into details about how it’s helped me.
But let me summarise first. While I am not going to tout it as a miracle cure, the Oska Pulse has helped me hugely in managing my various pain-related conditions (Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Fibromyalgia).
I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. View my full Disclosure Policy.
I have gone from a daily 7-9 on the pain scale with pelvic cramps that had me unable to move on the floor three times a week to no cramps and a much more manageable steady 5 most days.
That, for me, is life-changing and means I can now manage my pain. It is currently is only one of several tools I have to use to manage my pain, take any of them away and I’m in trouble. But before I added in the Oska Pulse I wasn’t managing at all.
But more on that later, let’s take a look at the device first.
What is the Oska Pulse?
The Oska Pulse is a blue oval device that delivers Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF).
This is basically an Electromagnetic field that stimulates your body to heal itself. I’ll go into a bit more detail on how it works below.
The Oska Pulse is designed to target inflammation and pain at the site of injury. You don’t have to wear it directly on your skin (it can be up to 8 inches away from the point you’re treating) and it comes with a strap to help keep it attached if you’re moving about.
To use it, just click the on button and it will run for 30 minutes, before beeping to let you know it’s turning off. It flashes with a blue light whilst it is on too.
It’s recommended to use it for 4-6 sessions per day at first, but you may be able to reduce this over time. Some people get some immediate relief but, particularly for chronic pain, you may need to be a bit more patient.
You might get some pain relief quickly but things like mobility can take a bit longer to improve.
I personally saw some immediate relief and also a slower long-term improvement.
P.S. if you order one yours may look slightly different to mine as they’ve recently updated the look of the device.
How does it work?
First of all, because this is what people think when you try and explain PEMF technology, it isn’t a TENS device. You won’t feel it doing anything.
The Electromagnet basically pulses and creates a force on the electrical charge in your cells, changing their behaviour and promoting healing and reducing inflammation.
I have read some of the scientific explanations for this and only just understand them, certainly not enough to confidently explain it back to you. So, for those of you who want a bit more detail, this is a good explanation: Brett Wade. A Review of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Mechanisms at a Cellular Level: A Rationale for Clinical Use. American Journal of Health Research.
The cost
I’m going to be upfront here. This isn’t a cheap solution to pain. It costs $399.
It is a big investment. But they do offer a “no questions asked” 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the Oska Pulse. And a reduction in pain may result in a reduction of costly medications, but, obviously, that will entirely depend on how you react to the device and your current situation.
Most of my readers are in the United States, but if you’re not please also take into account international shipping fees and any customs/import duties.
How practical is it to use?
Once you press the little on button it goes for 30 minutes before discreetly beeping to let you know it’s turning off. This is fairly quiet and unobtrusive if you’re somewhere quiet. I don’t work but if I did I’d happily sit with it on my lap without worrying the occasional beeping would upset anyone around me.
In a noisy environment, you will need to keep checking it to see if it’s turned off.
It also flashes blue while it is working. It doesn’t come with anything to cover it but I would recommend doing so if you suffer from migraines. I tend to wear it under my clothes, which covers it anyway.
The Oska Pulse comes with a strap to help you attach it to your body if you need to. But to be honest, if you are using it for the recommended amount of time 4-6 x 30-minute sessions a day, then you may well be able to fit this in when you’re at home anyway.
It doesn’t need to be directly on the skin. I will sometimes just rest it on my belly or on the sofa cushion directly behind my shoulder. I’m at home all day though so I don’t need to feel self-conscious about other people seeing it.
One thing that may upset Adenomyosis or Endometriosis sufferers who are struggling to conceive is that, if you wear it strapped to your belly whilst out and about, it can make you like you’re pregnant, which may invite unwanted comments.
How has it helped me?
I’m going to split this into two. As I’ve already talked about my Pelvic pain in my intro, let me start with my shoulder pain, which is down to Fibromyalgia and Endometriosis on my diaphragm.
Shoulder/neck pain
Basically, the current working theory from my Physio is that I have an oversensitive nerve in the base of my neck causing referred pain from my neck, across to my shoulder. And all the muscles around it get upset and tighten up. We are working on increasing mobility in the neck and strengthening muscles.
Apparently, this is a common Fibromyalgia problem.
My Endometriosis specialist thinks the Endometriosis on my diaphragm is probably to blame, which irritates a nerve, again causing referred pain in the shoulder tip.
In truth, probably both are working together, making this a fairly complex problem. And both are causing secondary muscular pain.
So has the Oska Pulse helped? I’ve been using it for about a month and a half and had some immediate relief.
I still have a base level of pain that no-one and nothing have been able to alleviate but if I do something to irritate it (like my Physiotherapy exercises or certain movements) using the device calms it back down to my baseline. And I haven’t had any big flares since using it.
Previously my shoulder pain was all over the place in terms of severity.
I haven’t noticed an extra improvement over time in terms of pain but it’s great that if I do something to irritate it I can whack on the device and it calms down, rather than running to the microwave constantly to warm up my wheat bags.
And no flares? That’s brilliant. I wouldn’t be able to think sometimes because my muscles locked up so much and the pain was so bad.
Interestingly, my Physiotherapist commented at my last appointment (which is the only time I’ve seen her since using the Oska Pulse), that my muscles were much more relaxed. I’ve been in and out of Physiotherapy for about two years and they normally only ever comment that my muscles are tight.
There’s still room for improvement here. I may have to update you if I get greater improvement as time goes on. But I’ve made more progress with it than with two years of Physiotherapy.
Now let’s move on to where the device really wowed me.
Pelvic pain caused by Adenomyosis, Endometriosis and adhesions
These are the issues I have causing Pelvic pain: I have had expert excision surgery for my Endometriosis but I have deep infiltrating Endometriosis on my bowel that will require bowel resection to remove. I have suspected Adenomyosis which is a condition where Endometrial tissue is found inside the muscular wall of the uterus. It is also suspected that more adhesions (scar tissue that can bind organs together) formed after my surgery.
When I received the Oska Pulse I was about ready to ask for a hysterectomy despite the fact I want children. This is not a treatment for Endometriosis, I need to stress this as many doctors mistakenly tell patients it is (Endometriosis by its nature occurs outside the uterus and also produces its own oestrogen).
But it is a cure for Adenomyosis. Unfortunately, it’s quite a dramatic one.
I had just experienced the worst week of pain of my life. I had cramps on three days that left me unable to move on the floor for several minutes. The rest of the time it felt like someone was simultaneously burning and grating the entire insides of my pelvis.
I had been told to double my progesterone-only birth control pill and prescribed Diclofenac suppositories to reduce inflammation. I’d been on these for several weeks and still, things just seemed to be getting worse.
My whole body was tense and painful in reaction to the pelvic pain. My Fibromyalgia was having a field day.
Then the Oska Pulse arrived and I can’t explain the emotional and physical relief. I had some (fairly dramatic) relief immediately and by the end of the week, I was a changed woman. My pain was there but manageable. I could forget about it. It wasn’t there constantly screaming at me. And the rest of my body relaxed.
The cramps stopped. Completely.
Now, I got a bit cocky and stopped my Diclofenac. Bad idea. The pain returned. I’m now prescribed them as needed rather than for constant use. I’m having a mini flare now because I left it too long before restarting them. But it’s nearly back under control after a couple of days. It still didn’t get as bad as before. And I didn’t have any cramps!
I need to remind you that before I introduced Oska Pulse the Diclofenac was not helping my pain at all. In fact, it just seemed to be getting worse. I was in a desperate place
The Oska Pulse means it seems possible to manage my Adenomyosis for now, rather than being forced (by my body, not anyone else) to remove my uterus.
I really can’t stress how life-changing this is for me. But one thing. I did go a bit mad and use the device pretty much constantly for a while.
Now, a common co-condition with pelvic conditions like mine is pelvic floor dysfunction, caused by a build-up of and over-tight muscle that forms in reaction to the constant irritation of the muscles. I think what was happening was that over-use of the device was irritating my already tight muscles. I get a different pain from my pelvic muscles and this is what seemed to be hurting.
I had a day off from the device and started using it as per instructions (with a cheeky extra session or two as I go off to sleep) and no more problems on this count.
So, I hope this review has been helpful for you. If you’d like more information please do check out the Oska Pulse website or you can follow them on Facebook.
Wishing you all a pain-free day,
Laura’s Pen
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