People with the painful joint disease, rheumatoid arthritis, are being urged not to waste their money on copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps in the hope that these will ease their symptoms.

According to UK scientists, wearing copper bracelets to combat joint problems has been popular since the 1970s and magnet therapy is used by many people worldwide for chronic pain. The estimated worldwide annual sales of magnetic devices currently exceeds $1 billion.

RA is a chronic and often painful disease affecting the joints, causing them to become inflamed. An inflamed joint looks swollen and red and appears warm to touch. This inflammation can lead to permanent damage in the joints if the disease is not treated. Around 40,000 people in Ireland are affected.

The scientists decided to investigate the effectiveness of copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps in the treatment of RA. They monitored the progress of 70 people with active RA. Each person wore four different devices over a period of five months. Each device was worn for five weeks at a time.

The participants reported their levels of pain and disability during this period. They also kept records of their medication use and provided blood samples after wearing each device.

The study found that the copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps had no real effect on pain or swelling. They also had no effect on the progression of the disease.

In fact, they provided no major therapeutic effects beyond those of placebo bracelets and straps, which contained no copper and were not magnetic.

"It's a shame that these devices don't seem to have any genuine benefit. They're so simple and generally safe to use. But what these findings do tell us is that people who suffer with RA may be better off saving their money, or spending it on other complementary interventions, such as dietary fish oils for example, which have far better evidence for effectiveness," commented lead scientist, Dr Stewart Richmond, of the University of York.

He said that if people suspect they have RA, they should consult their GP and seek appropriate medical treatment, ‘rather than placing faith in such devices'. This is important in helping people ‘to avoid long-term joint damage resulting from uncontrolled inflammation'.

Dr Richmond said there may be two reasons why some people report benefits when it comes to these devices. Firstly, they may induce a placebo effect in people who believe in them. Secondly, people often start wearing them during a flare-up of the condition and ‘as their symptoms subside naturally over time, they confuse this with a therapeutic effect'.

"Pain varies greatly over time in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and the way we perceive pain can be altered significantly by the power of the mind," Dr Richmond insisted.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, PLOS ONE.

For more information on RA, see our RA Clinic here