Revitive

HighYa is supported by our readers. When you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.

What Is Revitive?

Revitive is an electrical muscle stimulator that aims to relieve pain from poor circulation.

After your arteries deliver oxygen-rich blood to your tissues, your veins are responsible for returning the blood back to the heart to be re-oxygenated. As veins lack the muscular walls of arteries, they rely heavily on the muscles of your legs to transmit blood.

Age, pregnancy, obesity, and prolonged sitting or standing place are risk factors for venous insufficiency (VI). Millions of people are therefore affected by this condition and experience symptoms like swelling in your legs, skin discoloration, pain with activity, calf tightness, and wounds that are difficult to heal.

While conservative management options usually include the use of compression garments, Revitive claims that their electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) footplate offers another drug-free option to relieve pain from poor circulation.

Can Revitive offer relief for a condition that affects millions of people? In this review, we’ll help you answer this question by reviewing some of the scientific research we were able to dig up.

First, let’s talk a bit more about how their footplate works.

How Does Revitive Work?

Using Revitive is pretty straightforward.

You place your bare feet on the conductive footplate while in a seated position. Electrical impulses are delivered through the feet, causing foot and calf contractions that may promote blood flow, similar to light exercise.

You are in control of 99 different intensity levels, as well as 15 different waveform patterns to vary the electrical stimulation your muscles receive. The Revitive delivers a maximum current of 13mA at 500U of resistance.

Revitive also has a rocking feature: a fulcrum located in the middle of the device that ensures the feet remain in contact with the footplate while allowing 20 degrees of ankle motion. This feature can be disabled to keep the footplate stable.

Revitive claims that you will experience the following with 30-minutes of daily use over 6 to 8-weeks:

• Increased circulation
• Relief for aches & pains
• Improved muscle strength & endurance

Up next, we’ll discuss if there is any merit to these claims.

Is There Any Scientific Backing Revitive’s Claims?

EMS has been around for a while.

It has been used in a therapy setting to improve nerve dysfunction and muscular injuries. More recently, EMS has been incorporated in strength and conditioning regimens to improve athletic performance.

But can it offer relief for pain caused by poor blood circulation? Let’s find out.

EMS and Venous Insufficiency

In 2010, researchers investigated the effects of short-term bed rest and EMS on blood flow. They found that 4 hours of bed rest reduced venous blood flow by nearly 50% even in healthy subjects, while EMS helped maintain significantly higher flow rates.

A 2014 case series investigated the use of the geko, a self-contained EMS device, in 2 subjects with chronic VI and multiple medical conditions.

They reported that low-voltage stimulation at a frequency of 1Hz at 2 to 4 hours daily for 4 to10-weeks led to a complete resolution of symptoms. This is notable as compression garment treatment failed to offer relief in these patients.

More recently, intensive care unit patients that received EMS had higher venous flow rates when compared to those who didn’t. Treatment was 30-minutes daily for 14-days with frequency ranging from 5-50Hz.

So far, the available research is promising.

Benefits were seen in randomized trials with both healthy and chronically ill subjects. It seems as though EMS can reduce swelling, increase blood flow, and relieve pain so users can get back to some form of exercise.

But what about devices that deliver EMS through a footplate? Fortunately, Revitive has been studied as a stand-alone product. Up next, we’ll review the trial.

The Revitive Randomized Trial

Researchers randomized 22 subjects with chronic VI to either a Revitive treatment group, or a group that received treatment with a phony device.

They found that treatment with Revitive for 30-minutes daily over 6-weeks resulted in increased venous flow, reduced swelling, and better quality of life when compared to those in the control group.

While the researchers note that more extensive trials are needed to fully characterize the impact of this device in treating VI, their results are in-line with previous studies.

This study likely led to the recommended use guidelines offered by Revitive. Also, these findings further strengthen the support for EMS use in those with VI.

Before we discuss cost, let’s review any safety concerns.

Is Revitive Safe?

The good news is that these devices are generally safe. The research studies highlighted in the previous section did not report any adverse events.

Nonetheless, it’s essential to understand that these subjects used EMS under the guidance of medical professionals and research staff, so their risk for side effects may have been lower.

EMS may not be for everybody.

EMS use during pregnancy or in those with pacemakers has been described as potentially hazardous. A recent review described whole-body EMS as safe and effective, though they alluded to the need for further more detailed studies.

Your leg pain and swelling can be caused by a number of underlying conditions, some of which are serious. It is best to speak with a physician to determine the source of your symptoms before using EMS.

Where Can I Purchase Revitive and How Much Does It Cost?

You can order your Revitive risk-free from their website.

A no-obligation 60-day money-back guarantee backs each purchase. Also, shipping and returns are always free.

There are currently two purchasing options available: buy now, or pay monthly. The Revitive device costs $329, or 4 monthly payments of $82.25.

Buy Revitive from Amazon:

Revitive costs $249.00 on Amazon, with free shipping.

$249 from Amazon

Are There Any Alternatives?

While there are a number of EMS units available on the market, footplate based products are less common.

The Pain Relief System Basic Package from Dr. Ho is an EMS unit that includes foot pads in addition to traditional sticky pads and a back relief belt. It costs $129.96.

Sharper Image offers an EMS foot massager with infrared heat. This device has 25 different intensity settings and comes with pads for use on your arms legs and back. The cost is $179.99.

You can also promote blood flow naturally. Activities like walking allow for contraction of your leg muscles that help return blood to the heart.

For those unable to exercise, there are also activities you can perform while seated or lying down. Check out this video demonstration for ankle pumps.

The Bottom Line

The use of EMS in those with VI seems to be a safe and effective treatment option. A randomized trial specifically testing Revitive, offered similar results that back the company’s claims.

This may be an especially appealing method for those who seek drug-free treatment but are unable to use compression garments (we can link the other article once published), or for those who can’t exercise.

Though EMS is generally safe, those who are pregnant or have a pacemaker should seek medical advice before use.

Also, be sure to discuss your symptoms with your physician to rule out underlying, dangerous medical conditions and to determine if EMS is the right choice for your plan of care.