Cheltenham clinic's pain-free new treatment accelerates healing from the waiting room

SoGlos sits down with Stephanie Smith-Rowles from Pea Green Physio to find out how new magnetic therapy technology at her clinic is giving patients fast, effective pain relief by accelerating the body's natural healing processes.

By Jake Chown | Published Monday 17 November 2025

EMTT sends focused magnetic pulses into affected areas of the body, creating tiny electrical currents within your tissues which calm down inflammatory processes in and around the joints.

Specialist physiotherapist at Cheltenham's Pea Green Physio, Stephanie Smith-Rowles, says healthy nutrition and lifestyle, including cardio and weight training, are the underpinning of good bone and joint health.

In partnership with Pea Green Physio | peagreenphysio.co.uk

Pea Green Physio in Cheltenham offers high-tech, modern treatments including Focused Shockwave Therapy to provide effective relief and long-term recovery for patients. With decades of experience between them, the Pea Green team also offers personalised manual therapy, physio-led personal training rehabilitation, sports massages and Pilates and yoga-based therapy.

From easing stubborn osteoarthritis pain, to supporting bone healing and even helping acute orthopaedic post operative patients recover more quickly, the new EMTT service at Cheltenham’s Pea Green Physio is transforming the way patients kickstart their rehabilitation – before they’ve even left the waiting room.

SoGlos sits down with director and specialist physiotherapist Stephanie Smith-Rowles to discover how this gentle but highly effective magnetic therapy helps reduce pain, calm inflammation and stimulate tissue repair – giving patients the relief and mobility they need to return to strengthening treatment – and why nutrition, sleep and lifestyle play such a vital role in long-term joint and bone health.

What is EMTT?

In simple terms, EMTT — Extracorporeal Magnetotransduction Therapy – is an advanced form of magnetic field therapy. It delivers high-energy, oscillating magnetic pulses deep into muscles, tendons, joints and even bone to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes.

It’s comfortable, completely non-invasive and requires no downtime.

Physiotherapists have used magnetic fields for decades. When I trained, the equipment was huge – giant magnetic drums and coils used for arthritis, hip replacement recovery and bone healing. The technology was promising but the research hadn’t fully caught up.

Now, with modern evidence and refined engineering, we have EMTT – a smaller, more precise and far more effective device.

What is EMTT used to treat?

EMTT is particularly effective for osteoarthritis, targeting the condition on several fronts.

Osteoarthritis isn’t just 'wear and tear'. We now understand it as a metabolic and inflammatory disease – influenced by lifestyle, excess body weight, poor diet, lack of movement and chronic inflammation. These factors alter the way joints repair and regenerate.

As the joint becomes inflamed:

Bone marrow lesions (bone oedema) develop inside the bone, causing significant pain.
The hyaline cartilage thins and may develop small defects.
The synovium — the joint’s protective lining — becomes inflamed (synovitis), amplifying pain and stiffness.
Over time, increased bone-on-bone contact fuels further swelling and discomfort.

This cocktail of inflammation, bone bruising and mechanical stress is exactly where EMTT is powerful.

So how does EMTT work?

EMTT delivers rapidly changing magnetic pulses that generate tiny electrical currents within the tissues. These currents stimulate cellular activity, helping restore healthy function and switch off excessive inflammation.

It alters the cell membrane permeability and polarity, which essentially gets the cells behaving normally again. That means reduced inflammation, healthier synovium and accelerated cartilage and bone repair.

Patients sit or lie comfortably while the applicator is positioned over the joint – even through clothing, as long as there’s no metal. Most people don’t feel anything at all during the treatment, or at most they may feel only a light tapping or pulsing sensation, the EMTT intensity can be adjusted so that it is well tolerated by our patients.

Can EMTT help bone healing?

Absolutely. Research shows EMTT can support:

Acute fractures
Delayed or non-union fractures
Bone stress injuries (stress reactions and stress fractures)
Post-surgical bone healing

Osteoblasts build bone and osteoclasts remodel it – EMTT helps regulate this balance so the bone can repair at an optimal rate.

One of my first patients was a 90-year-old with severe hip osteoarthritis who wasn’t suitable for surgery or steroid injections. After one 20-minute EMTT session – front and back of the hip – she stood up pain-free. She completed a course of six sessions and her pain dropped from nine out of 10, to zero. With her pain reduced, she could finally do the strengthening exercises needed to support her hip.

What can patients do themselves to support osteoarthritis recovery?

Lifestyle is huge, we can’t ignore it. You can’t 'out treat' a poor lifestyle – good habits are the foundation of healthy joints and bones.

Key elements include:

Nutrition: reducing ultra-processed foods, sugars and refined carbohydrates to lower inflammation and stabilise insulin; focusing on protein, collagen-rich foods, colourful fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and plenty of fibre.
Exercise: a blend of cardiovascular activity and strength training to support joint stability, muscle function and metabolic health.
Sleep: aiming for seven hours per night to control inflammation and support tissue repair.

Who else can benefit from EMTT?

EMTT is effective for a wide range of musculoskeletal issues – not just advanced arthritis. It can help:

Early-stage joint degeneration
Post-operative healing after hip, knee, shoulder or ankle replacements (as long as the metalwork is MRI-safe)
Frozen shoulder
Tendinopathies
Back and spinal pain
Wound healing following surgery
Bone stress injuries and fractures

If you’re safe to have an MRI, you’re generally safe for EMTT.

How does Pea Green Physio administer EMTT?

It’s incredibly simple and completely hands-off. Patients can sit comfortably in the waiting room with a book while the device works. The only things we need to keep away are watches, bank cards and phones – the magnetic field is powerful enough to interfere with them.

Most treatments last 15 to 20 minutes, and Pea Green Physio typically recommends a course of six to eight sessions, ideally twice a week for three to four weeks.

Can EMTT be used alongside other treatments?

Yes – and combining therapies often produces the best results.

For example, I have a patient with patellar tendinopathy and early osteoarthritis. We’re using radial Shockwave, focused shockwave, manual therapy and EMTT – alongside a structured rehab programme. The technology reduces pain and inflammation so patients can fully commit to strengthening work.

Another notable case involved a professional viola player with arthritic finger joints and previous wrist fractures. We combined manual therapy, radiofrequency therapy and EMTT – and the improvement in mobility and pain was brilliant.

How can patients book EMTT treatment with Pea Green Physio?

The best place to start is a 30-minute initial appointment. We assess the joint, confirm that EMTT is appropriate and deliver a 15-minute trial treatment.

Treatment options: