Last updated: November 2026
HEIT is a form of magnetic stimulation. On this page you can read how it works, what scientific research says about it, and what you can realistically expect. Including for urine leakage (incontinence).
In brief
- HEIT falls under repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (in research: rPMS). A strong magnetic field makes nerves and muscles respond, without causing pain.
- For long-term back pain and muscle pain, studies show less pain and better function than with a sham treatment. The studies are still small, so the evidence is cautious.
- For urine leakage the results are mixed. That is why we always use HEIT together with pelvic floor training, never as the only treatment.
- We always review after a few sessions. If it does not help you enough, we will tell you honestly.
How does HEIT work?
The treatment head contains a coil. A strong current runs through it in short pulses. This creates a magnetic field that passes through clothing, skin and fat. In the tissue underneath, that field induces a small electrical current. This is called induction.
That current stimulates the nerves. What happens next depends on the setting:
- Motor nerves: the muscles contract by themselves and relax again. We use this for weak muscles and for the pelvic floor.
- Sensory nerves: the stimuli can dampen the pain signals to the brain. We use this for pain and tense muscles.
Because the magnetic field does not stimulate the skin directly, it feels less unpleasant than electrical stimulation with pads. You stay fully clothed.
What HEIT does not do
You sometimes read that magnetic therapy “recharges cells” or “heals” tissue. This has not been shown in humans. What has been shown: magnetic stimulation can activate nerves and muscles. The effects on pain and function described below were measured in studies in patients.
What does the research say?
Below are the most important reviews and studies. Under “certainty” you can see how the researchers themselves rate the strength of the evidence. “Low” means: the results are promising, but new research may still change them.
| Complaint | Study | What was found? | Certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-term low back pain | Review of 6 randomised studies, 139 patients (Diao et al., 2023) | Less pain (on average almost 2 points on a scale of 0–10) and fewer limitations in daily life than the control group. | Low to very low |
| Long-term muscle and joint pain | Review of 8 randomised studies, 177 patients (Pan et al., 2025) | Less pain and fewer limitations than the control group. No effect on fear of movement. | Very low |
| Knee osteoarthritis | Review of 8 studies, 421 patients, using a related, weaker magnetic field therapy (Chen et al., 2019) | Better functioning in daily life; pain and stiffness not clearly reduced. | Not rated; few studies |
| Stress incontinence (leakage when coughing, sneezing, exercising) | Sham-controlled study, 120 women (Lim et al., 2017) | After 2 months 75% reported improvement, compared with 22% after sham treatment. In most, the effect lasted a year. | One study |
| Stress incontinence | Network analysis of 31 studies of non-surgical treatments (Li et al., 2024) | Magnetic stimulation did not give a clearly better result than placebo on the pad test. Electrical stimulation with biofeedback scored best. | Not rated; varying quality |
| Urge incontinence (sudden strong urge) | Sham-controlled study, 70 women (Lukanović et al., 2025) | After 6 months clearly fewer complaints than after sham treatment. | One small study |
The studies used different devices and settings, so results cannot be transferred one-to-one to every device. We work with the Compact-II by Enraf-Nonius (up to 3 Tesla).
HEIT for urine leakage (incontinence)
What is incontinence?
With incontinence you involuntarily lose urine. The two most common forms are:
- Stress incontinence: leakage when coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting or exercising. The pelvic floor muscles do not close off the urethra firmly enough. This is common after pregnancy or childbirth and around the menopause.
- Urge incontinence: a sudden, strong urge to urinate, where you do not always reach the toilet in time.
Many people have a combination of both.
How does HEIT help?
You sit fully clothed on a chair or treatment table. The treatment head makes your pelvic floor muscles contract by themselves and powerfully, dozens of times a minute. Many people then feel clearly for the first time where their pelvic floor is. That makes it easier to train the muscles yourself afterwards. In urge incontinence, the stimulation can calm the nerves of the bladder.
What does research say about incontinence?
Several good studies show improvement compared with a sham treatment, in both stress and urge incontinence. Other studies and reviews find no clear difference. The Dutch guideline for hospitals (2015, reassessed in 2024) advises against magnetic stimulation as a standalone treatment, because the evidence was not convincing at the time. The newer studies from 2017 and 2025 are more positive.
- Pelvic floor training remains the first choice. It is the best studied. Expect at least 3 months of exercise.
- We use HEIT as extra support: to learn to feel the muscles and build strength faster, especially if contracting them yourself does not yet work well.
- After 6 sessions we review together whether you are making progress, for example with a bladder diary or questionnaire. No improvement? Then we stop HEIT.
- If there is blood in the urine, pain when urinating or fever, we first refer you to your GP.
What can you expect?
- HEIT is a supplement: it works best together with exercise.
- Some people notice less pain or more control after a few sessions. For others the effect is small.
- We agree in advance when we will review, usually after 3 to 6 sessions.
- Costs: € 55.00 per 30-minute session, or € 300.00 for a package of 6 sessions. HEIT is not reimbursed.
Is it safe?
No serious side effects were reported in the studies. Sometimes temporary muscle soreness occurs, as after a workout. There are situations in which HEIT is not possible, for example with a pacemaker or other electronic implant, or with epilepsy. We go through these with you during the intake. Read more on the HEIT page.
Sources
- Diao Y, Pan J, Xie Y, et al. Effect of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation on patients with low back pain: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2023;104(9):1526–1538. PubMed
- Pan J, Jia Y, Li K, et al. Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation for pain, disability, and kinesiophobia in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2025. PubMed
- Chen L, Duan X, Xing F, et al. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on pain, stiffness and physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Rehabil Med 2019;51(11). Article
- Lim R, Liong ML, Leong WS, et al. Pulsed magnetic stimulation for stress urinary incontinence: 1-year followup results. J Urol 2017;197(5):1302–1308. Article
- Li M, Qiu K, Guo H, et al. Conservative treatments for women with stress urinary incontinence: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Front Med 2024. Article
- Lukanović D, et al. Magnetic stimulation in the treatment of urgency urinary incontinence: a randomized sham-controlled clinical trial. Int Urogynecol J 2025. Article
- Dutch guideline Urinary incontinence, secondary and tertiary care, module Magnetic stimulation (2015, reassessed 2024; in Dutch). Richtlijnendatabase
Questions about HEIT?
Call or WhatsApp us. We are happy to discuss whether HEIT could help you.