ActiPatchAdvanced 24-Hour Pain Relief Device | Drug-Free, Sensation-Free | Lasts for 720 Hours (with On/Off Button)

I've been using ActiPatch it for over six months now and have the refill version on monthly subscribe-and-save.The company's description of this device makes it sound a bit too good to be true, which initially undermined my expectations for its legitimacy, so I thought it might be useful to add a review from a medical professional (and one who's generally very skeptical of alternative medicine). Please take this with a grain of salt, though, as I'm a sample size of only one.SUMMARY* Knee pain - FULL ELIMINATION OF PAIN* Migraine pain - UNDECIDED* Best way of wearing it - PHYSICAL THERAPY TAPE* Other thoughts - May work best for people whose pain responds (even if only temporarily) to therapies that directly effect nerves such as capsaicin and TENSKNEE PAINPatellofemoral pain has significantly disrupted my sleep and quality of life for almost 10 years. I've had minimal response to multiple rounds of physical therapy (including with an expert in the field), steroid injections, oral steroids, and various oral pain relievers.What has worked best for me is TENS (but only while it's applied) and capsaicin (but I quickly become desensitized to it and have to increase the strength, then add heat -- once to the point of causing blisters -- and then even that stops working).I bought ActiPatch on a whim. I wasn't familiar with any research on electromagnetic pulses for pain and assumed it belonged to the type of alternative medicine without any solid scientific grounding. I was also skeptical of whether the device itself did what it says. The field of medical devices minimally regulated, and, since there's no sensation, you can't know if ActiPatch is generating the pulses it claims to.But I decided that I was willing to pay for a potential placebo effect, which was the best I expected from it.And so I tried it without doing any research on it, as definitely learning that it didn't have scientific grounding would probably ruin any chance of the placebo effect I hoped for.Initially I had decent but not amazing response. Knee pain still woke me up at night but less frequently than with anything else I'd tried.I was using it with the net for the most part and only at night (the net being too bulky for day use) and it would frequently shift out of position.Three months later I switched to positioning it with physical therapy tape. Soon, I started to forget to take it off. And then just started using it 24 hours a day, because why not?And then, to my surprise, it *really* began working. It took over a month of almost 24/7 use for full effect, but I haven't had more than a hint of an ache in many weeks now. Ten years of almost nightly insomnia from knee pain and now I can't recall when the pain last woke me up. I've completely stopped using my old addiction, capsaicin.I began to suspect that this wasn't placebo effect.And so I finally looked into the science behind it.As with anything musculoskeletal, the literature is sprase, but the scientific background for the disruption of nerve conduction by pulsed magnetic fields does seem solid. As well, there's a recent randomized control trial using ActiPatch in a major medical journal with investigators who had no financial connection to the company that shows modest improvement in pain.(The fact that ActiPatch specifically was used also gives me more faith in the manufacturing quality of the device. Interestingly, I believe the net was what was used in this study, too, and, after the troubles I had with it, it makes me wonder if they would have had even better outcomes if they had used a different method.)One other interesting effect I've noticed: The joint lines of my knees are normally a bit tender. But now the lateral joint line of my right knee -- which is the only one covered by the patch -- is no longer painful to touch. I also tried a pinprick test and it not only feels less painful compared to the surrounding skin and opposite knee, but it doesn't even feel sharp.It makes sense mechanistically -- and is, indeed, what probably *should* happen if ActiPatch does what it says it does -- but diminished sharp sensation was a far more sigificant effect than I'd expected. Again, I'm a sample size of one person, but it adds to my thought that ActiPatch is legitimate.MIGRAINEThe other day I was 36 hours into a migraine without any relief on the horizon. I tried ActiPatch on a whim, and with more curiosity than expectation.I fastened it over my forehead/temple where the pounding pain was. Within less than an hour I no longer had any pain with bright lights. Over 4 hours the pain slowly decreased to a vague throbbing -- similar to the bare hint of a headache I get before a migraine truly comes on.Now, it didn't stop the migraine. Instead, it gave me several hours of the strangest one I've ever had, made up of only fatigue and nausea and word-finding difficulty, usual symptoms for me, but that are normally dwarfed by the pain.(Note: I hadn't realized that photophobic pain traveled along the nerve in that area, but a quick search revealed that it in fact can.)This experience is one person and one time and entirely subjective, so I'm including it only because it was interesting.There had been a study planned in 2017 -- with no papers yet published -- of using ActiPatch in the region of this same nerve (ophthalmic nerve) for migraine prevention. (A different variety of pulsed magnetic therapy has been used over the occipital nerve with similar objective and studies have shown -- in my non-neurologist opinion -- an unimpressive treatment effect.)I suspect, if the study did happen, that they did not find any significant benefit. From what we know of migraines -- which is admittedly very little and very contradictory -- I wouldn't expect prevention from desensitizing a peripheral nerve.POSITIONINGI position it with two strips of horizontal physical therapy tape over my knee. I take it off and reapply with every shower.I find this both the easiest and most effective for pain relief. It's also very low profile, making it possible to wear 24 hours a day.ActiPatch seems to randomly come with a wrap, a net and/or dumbbell-shaped stickers. It was difficult to position exactly where I wanted it with a wrap. I used the net for quite a while because it was easy, but, in retrospect, it was the least effective for pain relief. I suspect it's because the net fits too loosely for me, has a tendancy to slide around and the ActiPatch falls down inside it.MY THOUGHTSI think ActiPatch's claims and effects are legitimate. I think if (or, hopefully, when) there are more studies that they will support that.I suspect the people who will get benefit from ActiPatch are those whose pain responds (even if only transiently) to nerve stimulation such as menthol, capsaicin and TENS. The important difference is that it can be used long-term without habituation.The price to replace it every month is well worth it. I've paid a lot more for a lot less effective treatments.

I bought this almost a year and a half ago and tried it on my shoulder and knee. It worked great on my knee, but because of the location of pain in my shoulder, it didn't help as much on it...I wasn't able to get it positioned well enough.My knee has been bothering me for about a week (2 ACL replacements and severely torn meniscus) out of the blue. I remembered that I had the Actipatch and put it on last night. I experienced immediate pain relief and woke up without the sharp pain and buckling I had been experiencing all weekend. My pain was so bad that I ordered a new knee stabilizing brace and compression sleeve. I wish I had remembered that I had this before I spent more money, lol.I'm writing this review over a year late, because I looked up my past order to get a backup and decided it definitely needed to have a 5-star review written. Works great for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone that can't stomach OTC anti-inflammatory meds like me.

I love this product. It really does help my sore knees. It even reduces hip pain when I wear it on my knees. I am guessing this is because I am working more normally, so not aggravating my hip.Attaching it with tape is somewhat of a challenge because the wrap they provided didn't work so well for me. So I use regular paper tape that you would use for first aid because although it is less secure, it does not leave an adhesive residue on my skin and is not irritating at all. I prefer to use more tape and be kinder to my skin. The adhesive that is provided works OK but it is not enough for the time period that I am using the device, since it is designed to last a full month.The one caveat I have is that because it is very effective at stopping me from feeling pain, I have to keep in mind that I still have sore knees. I discovered to my surprise, delight as well as chagrin, that I was "overdoing it" and not treating my knees with extra TLC at first, and so caused some additional discomfort, which was remedied by being kinder to my sore knees. For example. without actipatch, it is painful to spend hours standing on my feet, whether waiting in line, or cooking, etc. I have learned that I need to sit down. When I first started using this product, I wasn't in pain and stood as I worked in the kitchen, waited in line, shopping, etc. and later realized that the device can only do so much, if I am "overworking" my sore knees.So highly recommend this for pain but do yourself a favor and remember that pain lets you know when you are doing too much and if you reduce or eliminate that pain, you still have to modulate your activity so that you don't compound the physical problem.The only reasons I am holding back and giving 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because the method of attaching it to the sore spot isn't optimal... It would also be great if its battery could be rechargeable, but even though it is not an inexpensive item, it does last a month, and so it's like paying $1/day for relief.

Do not waste your money or our time with this product. They DO NOT allow returns! Obviously, NO RETURN policy is due to the fact that everyone would return it. Totally feel embarrassed that we did not read the RETURN POLICY prior to ordering.

This product is amazing. I have been using it for last 2 years.

I use this product on my shoulder and back for pain relief. I place it where I have pain and leave it on for a day or two. I recommend trying this product!Very Satisfied!