Low-frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy in Fibromyalgia: A Randomized, Double-blind, Sham-controlled Clinical Study Pulsed electromagnetic fields stimulation affects BMD and local factor production of rats with disuse osteoporosis. Impact of low frequency pulsed magnetic fields on pain intensity, quality of life and sleep disturbances in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy. Efficacy of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy in healing of pressure ulcers: A randomized control trial. The effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields in the treatment of cervical osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial Pulsed magnetic field therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee--a double-blind sham-controlled trial. Electrical Stimulation for Fracture Healing: Current Evidence The effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial Human exposure to a specific pulsed magnetic field: effects on thermal sensory and pain thresholds Effect of pulsed magnetic field therapy on the level of fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis - a randomized controlled trial
Objective To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field ( PEMF ) therapy for women with fibromyalgia ( FM ) . Methods Fifty-six women with FM , aged 18 to 60 years , were r and omly assigned to either PEMF or sham therapy . Both the PEMF group ( n=28 ) and the sham group ( n=28 ) participated in therapy , 30 minutes per session , twice a day for 3 weeks . Treatment outcomes were assessed by the fibromyalgia Impact question naire ( FIQ ) , visual analog scale ( VAS ) , patient global assessment of response to therapy , Beck Depression Inventory ( BDI ) , and Short-Form 36 health survey ( SF-36 ) , after treatment ( at 4 wk ) and follow-up ( at 12 wk ) . Results The PEMF group showed significant improvements in FIQ , VAS pain , BDI score , and SF-36 scale in all domains at the end of therapy . These improvements in FIQ , VAS pain , and SF-36 pain score during follow-up . The sham group also showed improvement were maintained on all outcome measures except total FIQ scores after treatment . At 12 weeks follow-up , only improvements in the BDI and SF-36 scores were present in the sham group . Conclusion Low-frequency PEMF therapy might improve function , pain , fatigue , and global status in FM patients Pulsed electromagnetic fields ( PEMF ) have been used widely to treat nonunion fractures and related problems in bone healing , as a biological and physical method . With the use of Helmholtz coils and PEMF stimulators to generate uniform time-varying electromagnetic fields , the effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on bone mineral density ( BMD ) and local factor production in disuse osteoporosis ( DOP ) rats were investigated . Eighty 4-month-old female Sprague Dawley ( SD ) rats were r and omly divided into intact ( INT ) group , DOP group , calcitonin-treated ( CT ) group , and PEMF stimulation group . The right hindlimbs of all the rats were immobilized by tibia-tail fixation except for those rats in the INT group . Rats in the CT group were injected with calcitonin ( 2 IU/kg , i.p . , once a day ) and rats in the PEMF group were irradiated with PEMF immediately postoperative . The BMD , serum transforming growth factor-beta 1 ( TGF-beta1 ) , and interleukin-6 ( IL-6 ) concentration of the proximal femur were measured 1 , 2 , 4 , and 8 weeks after treatment . Compared with the CT and DOP groups , the BMD and serum TGF-beta1 concentration in the PEMF group increased significantly after 8 weeks . The IL-6 concentration in the DOP group was elevated significantly after operation . The PEMF group showed significantly lower IL-6 level than the DOP group . The results found demonstrate that PEMF stimulation can efficiently suppress bone mass loss . We , therefore , conclude that PEMF may affect bone remodeling process through promoting TGF-beta1 secretion and inhibiting IL-6 expression AIM The aim of this r and omized , placebo-controlled , double-blind study was to assess whether a low frequency magnetic field can influence pain intensity , quality of life and sleep , and glycaemic control in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy . METHODS Sixty-one patients were r and omized into two groups : the study group comprised 32 patients exposed to a low frequency magnetic field , average pain duration 23 months ; the control group included 29 patients who received sham exposure , average pain duration 28 months . Patients were exposed for three weeks , 20 min a day , five days a week . The magnetic field generator was a Viofor JPS device ( Med & Life , Komorow , Pol and ) . All subjects filled out the following question naires five times ( at the beginning and after one , two , three and five weeks ) : SFMPQ-VAS ( pain evaluation ) , EuroQol EQ-5D and MOS Sleep Scale . HbA(1c ) was evaluated at baseline and after five weeks . RESULTS Significant reductions in pain intensity were seen in both the study group ( visual analogue scale [ VAS ] value of 73 mm at baseline versus 33 mm after three weeks ) and controls ( VAS 69 mm at baseline versus 41 mm after three weeks ) . The extent of pain reduction did not differ significantly between the groups at any time . Also , both groups had similar improvements in EuroQol , MOS and HbA(1c ) values . CONCLUSION Genuine magnetic field exposure has no advantage over sham exposure in reducing pain intensity , improving quality of life , and decreasing sleep disturbances and HbA(1c ) BACKGROUND Pressure ulcers are one of the most common complications in health care setting s. Still there are no optimal protocol s to manage the pressure ulcers . AIM To assess the effectiveness of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy ( PEMF ) in healing of pressure ulcers in patients with neurological disorders . DESIGN R and omized double blind control trial . SETTING Neurological rehabilitation department in a university research hospital . PARTICIPANTS Twelve patients ( M : F , 9:3 ) having neurological disorders , with age between 12 - 50 years ( mean 30.166 + /- 11.32 yrs ) and 24 pressure ulcers . INTERVENTION Six patients with 13 ulcers received PEMF therapy and the remaining 6 patients with 11 ulcers received sham treatment , for 30 sessions ( 45 minutes each ) using the equipment ' Pulsatron ' . The frequency of PEMF was set at 1 Hz with sine waves and current intensity of 30 mili ampere . Whole body exposure was given in both the groups . OUTCOME MEASURES Bates-Jensen wound assessment tool ( BJWAT ) score was used as main outcome measure and scores at the end of session were compared with initial scores and analyzed . Similarly National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel ( NPUAP ) scores were compared and analyzed as secondary outcome measure . RESULTS Thirteen ulcers were in stage IV and 11 were in stage III at the start of the study . Significant healing of ulcers was noted , BJWAT scores , in both the treatment and sham groups ( P < 0.001 and 0.003 respectively ) at the completion of the study . However , when comparing between the groups , healing was not significant ( P = 0.361 ) . Similarly trend was noted with NPUAP scores with no significant difference between the treatment and sham groups ( P = 0.649 ) at the completion of study . CONCLUSIONS No significant difference in pressure ulcer healing was observed between PEMF treatment and sham group in this study The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of electromagnetic field therapy ( PEMF ) on pain , range of motion ( ROM ) and functional status in patients with cervical osteoarthritis ( COA ) . Thirty-four patients with COA were included in a r and omized , double-blind study . PEMF was administrated to the whole body using a mat 1.8 × 0.6 m in size . During the treatment , the patients lay on the mat for 30 min per session , twice a day for 3 weeks . Pain levels in the PEMF group decreased significantly after therapy ( p<0.001 ) , but no change was observed in the placebo group . The active ROM , paravertebral muscle spasm and neck pain and disability scale ( NPDS ) scores improved significantly after PEMF therapy ( p<0.001 ) but no change was observed in the sham group . The results of this study are promising , in that PEMF treatment may offer a potential therapeutic adjunct to current COA therapies in the future BACKGROUND AND METHODS Pulsed magnetic field therapy is frequently used to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis , although its efficacy has not been proven . We conducted a r and omized , double-blind comparison of pulsed magnetic field and sham therapy in patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee . Patients were assigned to receive 84 sessions , each with a duration of 30 minutes , of either pulsed magnetic field or sham treatment . Patients administered the treatment on their own at home , twice a day for six weeks . RESULTS According to a sample size estimation , 36 consecutive patients were enrolled . 34 patients completed the study , two of whom had to be excluded from the statistical analysis , as they had not applied the PMF sufficiently . Thus , 15 verum and 17 sham-treated patients were enrolled in the statistical analysis . After six weeks of treatment the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index was reduced in the pulsed magnetic field-group from 84.1 ( + /- 45.1 ) to 49.7 ( + /- 31.6 ) , and from 73.7 ( + /- 43.3 ) to 66.9 ( + /- 52.9 ) in the sham-treated group ( p = 0.03 ) . The following secondary parameters improved in the pulsed magnetic field group more than they did in the sham group : gait speed at fast walking [ + 6.0 meters per minute ( 1.6 to 10.4 ) vs. -3.2 ( -8.5 to 2.2 ) ] , stride length at fast walking [ + 6.9 cm ( 0.2 to 13.7 ) vs. -2.9 ( -8.8 to 2.9 ) ] , and acceleration time in the isokinetic dynamometry strength tests [ -7.0 % ( -15.2 to 1.3 ) vs. 10.1 % ( -0.3 to 20.6 ) ] . CONCLUSION In patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee , PMF treatment can reduce impairment in activities of daily life and improve knee function This article provides an overview of the biology behind the use of electrical stimulation in fracture healing and discusses the current methods of electrical bone growth stimulation . In addition , we review the best available clinical evidence for the use of electrical stimulation in the treatment of delayed and nonunions of fractures . Our search identified 4 meta-analyses on the use of electrical stimulation on fracture healing . The most method ologically rigorous and recent meta- analysis suggests that the current evidence is insufficient to conclude a benefit of electromagnetic stimulation in improving the rate of union in patients with a fresh fracture , osteotomy , delayed union , or nonunion . The other 3 meta-analyses that we identified suggested a more significant treatment effect from electrical stimulation . Although the evidence supporting electrical stimulation does trend in favor of its use to help achieve bony union , further large , multicenter , r and omized , controlled trials are required to resolve the current uncertainty surrounding the use of electrical stimulation and fracture healing In this study , we planned to investigate the effects of pulse electromagnetic field ( PEMF ) on pain relief and functional capacity of patients with knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) . Fifty-five patients with knee OA were included in a r and omized , placebo-controlled study . At the end of the therapy , there was statistically significant improvement in pain scores in both groups ( P < 0.05 ) . However , no significant difference was observed within the groups ( P > 0.05 ) . We observed statistically significant improvement in some of the subgroups of Lequesne index . These are morning stiffness and activities of daily living activities compared to placebo group . However , we could not observe statistically significant differences in total of the scale between two groups ( P > 0.05 ) . Applying between-group analysis , we were unable to demonstrate a beneficial symptomatic effect of PEMF in the treatment of knee OA in all patients . Further studies using different types of magnetic devices , treatment protocol s and patient population s are warranted to confirm the general efficacy of PEMF therapy in OA and other conditions Exposure to pulsed magnetic fields ( MF ) has been shown to have a therapeutic benefit in both animals ( e.g. mice , snails ) and humans . The current study investigated the potential analgesic benefit of MF exposure on sensory and pain thresholds following experimentally induced warm and hot sensations . Thirty-nine subjects ( Study 1 ) and 31 subjects ( Study 2 ) were r and omly and double-blindly assigned to 30 min of MF or sham exposure between two sets of tests of sensory and pain thresholds and latencies at , 1 degrees C above , and 2 degrees C above pain thresholds . Results indicated that MF exposure does not affect sensory thresholds [ e.g. [ F(1,31 ) = 0.073 , NS ] . Pain thresholds were significantly increased following MF exposure [ F(1,6 ) = 9.45 , P < 0.01 ] but not following sham exposure [ F ( 1,4 ) = 4.22 , NS ] . A significant condition by gender interaction existed for post-exposure pain thresholds [ F(1,27 ) = 5.188 , P < 0.05 ] . Taken together , these results indicate that MF exposure does not affect basic human perception , but can increase pain thresholds in a manner indicative of an analgesic response . The potential involvement of the placebo effect is discussed Twenty-five multiple sclerosis patients , taking part in a rehabilitation program , were r and omly assigned to treatment with pulsed magnetic field therapy ( PMFT ) or to sham therapy in order to study the additional effect of PMFTas part of a multimodal neurological rehabilitation program on fatigue . Patients demographic and disease specific characteristics were recorded . Level of fatigue was measured by fatigue sverity scale ( FSS ) at entrance and discharge and with a visual analog scale ( VAS ) immediate before and after a single treatment session . The ‘ Magnetic Cell Regeneration ’ system by Santerra was used for PMFT . A single treatment lasted 16 minutes twice daily over 3 - 4 weeks and consisted of relaxed lying on a PMF mattress . Sham intervention was conducted in an identical manner with the PMF-device off . Patients and statistics were blinded . Level of fatigue measured by FSS was high at entrance in both treatment group ( TG ) and control group ( CG ) ( 5.6 versus 5.5 ) . Over time of rehabilitation fatigue was reduced by 18 % in TG and 7 % in CG which was statistically not significant . There was a statistically significant immediate effect of the single treatment session witch 18 % reduction of fatigue measured by VAS in TG versus 11 % in CG . Because of a high ‘ placebo effect ’ of simple bed rest , a only small and short lasting additional effect of PMFT and high costs of a PMF-device , we can not recommend PMFTas an additional feature of a multimodal neurological rehabilitation program in order to reduce fatigue level of MS- patients
Pulsed electromagnetic fields ( PEMF ) delivered by whole-body mats are promoted in many countries for a wide range of therapeutic applications and for enhanced well-being .
However , neither the therapeutic efficacy nor the potential health hazards caused by these mats have been systematic ally evaluated .
We conducted a systematic review of trials investigating the therapeutic effects of low-frequency PEMF devices .