Pain Management with Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Treatment
©
William Pawluk M.D., MSc
The issue of pain treatment is an extremely urgent health and socio-economic
problem. Pain, in acute, recurrent and chronic forms, is prevalent across
age, cultural background, and sex, and costs North American adults an estimated
$10,000 to $15,000 per person annually. Estimates of the cost of pain do
not include the nearly 30,000 people that die in North America each year
due to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastric lesions. 17%
of people over 15 years of age suffer from chronic pain that interferes with
their normal daily activities. Studies suggest that at least 1 in 4 adults
in North America is suffering from some form of pain at any given moment.
This large population of people in pain relies heavily upon the medical community
for the provision of pharmacological treatment. Many physicians are now referring
chronic pain sufferers to non-drug based therapies, that is, "Complementary
and Alternative Medicine," in order to reduce drug dependencies, invasive
procedures and/or side effects. The challenge is to find the least invasive,
toxic, difficult and expensive approach possible.
The ability to relieve pain is very variable and unpredictable, depending on
the source or location of pain and whether it is acute or chronic. Pain mechanisms
are complex and have peripheral and central nervous system aspects. Therapies
should be tailored to the specifics of the pain process in the individual patient.
Psychological issues have a very strong influence on whether and how pain is
experienced and whether it will become chronic. Most effective pain management
strategies require multiple concurrent approaches, especially for chronic pain.
It is rare that a single modality solves the problem.
Static or electromagnetic fields have been used for centuries to control pain
and other biologic problems, but scientific evidence of their effect had not
been gathered until recently. This review explores the value of magnetic therapy
in rehabilitation medicine in terms of static magnetic fields and time varying
magnetic fields (electromagnetic). A historical review is given and the discussion
covers the areas of scientific criteria, modalities of magnetic therapy, mechanisms
of the biologic effects of magnetic fields, and perspectives on the future
of magnetic therapy.
In the past few years a new and fundamentally different approach has been increasingly
investigated. This includes the use of magnetic fields (MF), produced by both
static (permanent) and time-varied (most commonly, pulsed) magnetic fields
(PEMFs). Fields of various strengths and frequencies have been evaluated. There
is as yet no “gold standard”. The fields selected will vary based
on experience, confidence, convenience and cost. Since there does not appear
to be any major advantage to any one MF application, largely because of the
unpredictability of ascertaining the true underlying source of the pain, regardless
of the putative pathology, any approach may be used empirically and treatment
adjusted based on the response. After thousands of patient-years of use globally,
there very little risk has been found to be associated with MF therapies. The
primary precautions relate to implanted electrical devices and pregnancy and
seizures with certain kinds of frequency patterns in seizure prone individuals.
Magnetic fields affect pain perception in many different ways. These actions
are both direct and indirect. Direct effects of magnetic fields are: neuron
firing, calcium ion movement, membrane potentials, endorphin levels, nitric
oxide, dopamine levels, acupuncture actions and nerve regeneration. Indirect
benefits of magnetic fields on physiologic function are on: circulation, muscle,
edema, tissue oxygen, inflammation, healing, prostaglandins, cellular metabolism
and cell energy levels.
Most studies on pain use subjective measures to quantitate baseline and outcome
values. Subjective perception of pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and
pain drawings is 95% sensitive and 88% specific for current pain in the neck
and shoulders and thoracic spine.
Measured pain intensity (PI) changes with pain relief and satisfaction with
pain management. A 5%, 30%, and 57% reduction in PI correlated with "no," "some/partial," and "significant/complete" relief.
If initial PI scores were moderate/severe pain (NDS > 5), PI had to be reduced
by 35% and 84%, to achieve "some/partial" and "significant/complete" relief,
respectively. Patients in less pain (NDS < or = 5) needed 25% and 29% reductions
in PI. However, relief of pain appears to only partially contribute to overall
satisfaction with pain management.
Several authors have reviewed the experience with PEMFs in Eastern Europe and
the West. PEMFs have been used extensively in many conditions and medical disciplines.
They have been most effective in treating rheumatic disorders. PEMFs produced
significant reduction of pain, improvement of spinal functions and reduction
of paravertebral spasms. Although PEMFs have been proven to be a very powerful
tool, they should always be considered in combination with other therapeutic
procedures.
Since the turn of this century, a number of electrotherapeutic, magnetotherapeutic
and electromagnetic medical devices have emerged for treating a broad spectrum
of trauma, tumors and infections with static and PEMFs. Their acceptance in
clinical practice has been very slow in the medical community. Practitioner
resistance seems largely based on confusion of the different modalities, the
wide variety of frequencies employed (from ELF to microwave) and the general
lack of understanding of the biomechanics involved. The current scientific
literature indicates that short, periodic exposure to pulsed electromagnetic
fields (PEMF) has emerged as the most effective form of electromagnetic therapy.
The ability of PEMFs to affect pain is dependant on the ability of PEMFs to
positively affect human physiologic or anatomic systems. Research is showing
that the human nervous system is strongly affected by therapeutic PEMFs. Behavioral
and physiologic responses of animals to static and extremely low frequency
(ELF) magnetic fields are affected by the presence of light. Light strengthens
the effects of PEMFs.
One of the most reproducible results of weak, extremely low-frequency (ELF)
magnetic field (MF) exposure is an effect upon neurologic pain signal processing.
PEMFs have been designed for use as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of
chronic pain in humans. Recent evidence suggests that PEMFs would also be an
effective complement for treating patients suffering from acute pain. Static
magnetic field devices with strong gradients have also been shown to have therapeutic
potential. Specifically placed static magnets reduce neural action potentials
and alleviate spinal mediated pain. The placebo response may explain as much
as 40% of an analgesia response. The central nervous system mechanisms responsible
for the placebo response are an appropriate target for magnetic therapies.
Magnetic field manipulation of cognitive and behavioral processes is seen in
animal behavior studies and in humans. This may also be one of the mechanisms
of the use of MFs in managing pain.
Some of the mechanisms of PEMF effects
Magnetotherapy is accompanied by an increase in the threshold of pain sensitivity
and activation of the anticoagulation system. PEMF treatment stimulates production
of opioid peptides; activates mast cells and increases electric capacity of
muscular fibers. Long bone fractures that did not unite over 4 months to 4
years are repaired in 87% of cases with 14-16 hr of daily PEMF treatment. Several
of these devices are FDA approved. PEMF of 1.5- or 5-mT field strength, proved
helpful edema and pain before or after a surgical operation.
PEMF for 15-360 minutes increases amino acid uptake about 45%. PEMF for 2 hour
induces changes in transmembrane energy transport enzymes, allowing energy
coupling and increased biologic chemical transport work.
The density of pigeons’ brain mu opiate receptors decreases by about
30% and therefore their pain perception. A 2 hr exposure of healthy humans
was found to reduce pain perception and decreased pain-related brain signals.
Biochemical changes were found in the blood of treated patients that supported
the pain reduction benefit.
Normal standing balance is subject to control by the vestibular area of the
brain. PEMF couple with muscular processing or upper body nervous tissue functions.
200-uT PEMFs cause a significant improvement in normal standing balance in
adult (18-34 year old) humans. Further evidence of the sensitivity of the nervous
system on MFs.
Various MFs with different characteristics reduce pain inhibition in various
species of animals including land snails, mice, pigeons, as well as humans.
0.5 Hz rotating MF, 60 Hz ELF magnetic fields and even MRI reduces analgesia
induced by both exogenous opiates (i.e. morphine) and endogenous opioids (i.e.
stress-induced). Reduction in stress-induced analgesia can be obtained not
only by exposing animals to a variety of different magnetic fields, but also
after a short-term stay in a near-zero magnetic field. This suggests that even
for magnetic field, as for other environmental factors (i.e. temperature or
gravity), alterations in the normal conditions in which the species has evolved
can induce alterations in physiology as well as in behavior.
MFs applied to the head or to an extremity, for from 1 to 60 minutes, with
intervals from several minutes to several hours, randomly sequenced with sham
exposures allowed study of brain reactions by various objective measures. From
these multiyear studies, the brain shows a non-specific initial response. The
changes were "modulatory", meaning that the brain was found to sense
EMF exposures vs. sham exposures. The sensory reactions were a weak pain, tickling,
pressure, etc. sensations, mediated by the body’s peripheral sensory
systems. Reactions could be prevented by local anesthesia of the exposed area.
EEGs showed increased low-frequency rhythms, more pronounced when brain damage
was present. This explains the common perception of relaxation and sleepiness
with MFs. Cell analysis showed that all types of brain cells react to EMFs
but astrocytes were most sensitive. They are involved in memory processes and
slow wave brain activity.
The benefits of PEMF use may last considerably longer than the time of use.
In rats, a single exposure produces pain reduction both immediately after treatment
and at 24 hrs after treatment. The analgesic effect is still observed at 7th
and 14th day of repeated treatment and even up to 14 days after the last treatment.
PEMFs promote healing of soft tissue injuries by reducing edema and increasing
resorption of hematomas. Low frequency PEMFs reduce edema primarily during
treatment sessions. PEMFs at very high frequencies (PRFs) for 20-30 minutes
cause edema decreases lasting several hours. PRFs induce vasoconstriction at
the injury site. They displace negatively charged plasma proteins found in
traumatized tissue. This increases lymphatic flow, an additional factor in
reducing edema.
In rats exposed for 20 min daily on 3 successive days to PEMFs of 50 mG, the
pain threshold increased progressively over the 3 days. The pain threshold
following the third magnetic field exposure was significantly greater than
those associated with morphine and other treatments. Brain injured and normal
rats both showed a 63% increase in mean pain. PEMFs may be very helpful in
patients with closed head injuries. The mechanism probably involves the longer
acting endorphins rather than enkephalins.
Chronic pain is often a result of aberrantly functioning small neural networks
involved in self-perpetuated neurogenic inflammation. High intensity pulsed
magnetic stimulation (HIPMS) noninvasively depolarizes neurons and can facilitate
recovery following injury. Patients suffering from posttraumatic or postoperative
low-back pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, peripheral neuropathy, thoracic
outlet syndrome and endometriosis had pain relief. Up to ten,10-min exposures
to 1.17 T at a rate of 45 pulses/minute were applied to the areas of maximal
pain for 6 treatments. One patient became pain free after 4 HIPMS treatments.
All patients reported some pain relief. Maximum pain relief occurred 3 hr after
treatment. Two patients had complete pain relief and 3 had partial pain relief
that lasted for 4 months. The others had pain relief that lasted for 8-72 hours.
Even weak AC magnetic fields affect pain perception and pain-related EEG changes
in humans. A 2 hour exposure to 0.2-0.7G ELF magnetic fields caused a significant
decrease in pain-related EEG patterns.
Pain relief mechanisms vary by the type of stimulus used. For example, needling
to the pain-producing muscle, application of a static magnetic field or external
qigong or needling to an acupuncture point all reduce pain but by different
mechanisms. Pain could be induced by reduction of circulation in muscle and
reduced by recovery of circulation. Pain mediating substances are accumulated
in a muscle under reduced circulation and reversed with restoration of circulation.
This is why chronic muscle tension is a frequent cause of chronic pain. The
effect of a static magnetic field or external qigong is mediated by enhanced
release of acetylcholine as a result of activation of the cholinergic vasodilator
nerve endings in a muscle artery. Needling an acupuncture point is probably
induced by a somato-autonomic reflex through the brain, in the anterior hypothalamus.
In normal subjects, a magnetic stimulus over the cerebellum reduces the size
of responses evoked by cortical stimulation. Suppression of motor cortical
excitability is reduced or absent in patients with a lesion in the cerebellum
or cerebellar nerve pathways. Magnetic stimulation over the cerebellum produces
the same effect as electrical stimulation, even in ataxic patients and may
be useful for the pain associated with muscle spasticity.
Clinical benefits
In diabetic neuropathy, PEMF treatment every day for about 12 minutes, improves
pain, paresthesias and vibration sensation and increases muscular strength
in 85% of patients compared to controls.
One author reported that, of treated patients followed for 2-60 months, better
results happened in patients with post-herpetic pain and those simultaneously
suffering from neck and low back pain.
Chronic pain is often accompanied with or results from decreased circulation
or perfusion to the affected tissues, for example, cardiac angina or intermittent
claudication. PEMFs have been shown to improve circulation. Skin infrared radiation
increases due to immediate vasodilation with low frequency fields and increased
cerebral blood perfusion in animals. Pain syndromes due to muscle tension and
neuralgias improve.
The results of the treatment depend not only on the parameters of the fields
but also on the individual sensitivity of the person. The most effective results
in clinical use were found with extremely ultra low frequency PEMFs.
Back, neck and shoulder pain
Chronic low back pain affects approximately 15% of the United States (US) population
during their lifetime, with 93 million lost work days and a cost of more than
$5 billion per year. Lumbar arthritis is a very common cause of back pain.
35-40 mT PEMFs, for 20 minutes daily for 20-25 days for back pain gives relief
or elimination of pain, improves results from other rehabilitation and improves
secondary neurologic symptoms. Continuous use over the treatment episode works
best, in about 90-95% of the time. Control patients only show a 30% improvement.
PEMF of 5 to 15 G, from 7 Hz to 4 kHz used at the site of pain and related
trigger points for 20 to 45 minutes also helps. Some patients remain pain free
6 months after treatment. Some return to jobs they had been unable to perform.
Short term effects are thought due to decrease in cortisol and noradrenaline
and an increase serotonin, endorphins and enkephalins. Longer term effects
may be due to CNS and/or peripheral nervous system biochemical and neuronal
effects in which correction of pain messages occurs and the pain is not just
masked as in the case of medication. Back pain or whiplash syndrome treated
PEMF twice a day for two weeks along with usual pain medications relieves pain
in 8 days vs. 12 days in the controls. Headache is halved in the PEMF group
and neck and shoulder/arm pain improved by one third versus just medications
alone. Permanent magnetic therapy can also be useful in reducing chronic muscular
low back pain. Treatment with a flexible permanent magnetic pad for 21 days
reduces pain 6 times more than placebo. This has been effective for herniated
lumbar discs, spondylosis, radiculopathy, sciatica and arthritis. Pain relief
is sometimes experienced as early as 10 minutes or in some cases takes as long
as 14 days.
Low-power pulsed short wave 27 Hz diathermy has successfully treated persistent
neck pain and improved mobility. The neck pains lasted longer than 8 wk and
did respond to at least 1 course of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A
miniaturized, 9V battery-operated, diathermy generator was fitted into a soft
cervical collar. Treatment is for 3-6 weeks, 8 hr daily. Analgesics can be
used as needed and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. 75% of patients improve
in range of motion and pain within 3 wk of treatment.
For neck pain, PEMFs may have more benefit, compared to physical therapy, for
both pain and mobility.
Other pain applications
High frequency PEMF of 10-15 single treatments every other day either eliminates
or improves, even at 2 weeks following therapy, 80% of patients with pelvic
inflammatory disease, 89% with back pain, 40% with endometriosis, 80% with
postoperative pain, and 83% with lower abdominal pain of unknown cause.
In dentistry, PEMFs have also been found only slightly useful in treating dental
pain, jaw muscle spasms and swelling during wisdom tooth extraction with a
high frequency system. As is often seen in pain studies, a placebo response
is high, 30-40% of the time. In periodontal disease bone resorption may be
severe enough to require bone grafting. Grafting is followed by moderate pain
peaking several hours afterwards. Repeated PEMF exposure for two weeks eliminates
pain within a week. Even single PEMF exposure to the face for 30 minutes of
a 5mT field and conservative treatment produces much lower pain scores vs.
controls.
Pelvic pain of gynecological origin was also found to be benefited by a different
high voltage, high frequency system. This includes ruptured ovarian cysts,
postoperative pelvic hematomas, chronic urinary tract infection, uterine fibrosis,
dyspareunia, endometriosis and dysmenorrhea. Treatment times vary from 15 to
30 minutes on subsequent or alternate days. 90% of patients experience marked,
rapid relief from pain with pain subsiding within 1-3 days. Most of these patients
don’t require supplementary analgesics.
Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a very common and painful condition, which is
often medically-resistant, responds to PEMF for 20-30 minutes daily for 19
treatments over 34 days. The PEMF is a 4-16 Hz and 0.6-T samarium/cobalt magnet
system surrounded by spiral coil pads with a maximum 0.1-T pulse at 8 Hz pasted
on the pain/paresthesia areas or over the spinal column or limbs. Treatments
continue until symptoms improve or an adverse side effect occurred. PEMF therapy
is effective in 80%. No pain was made worse. This treatment approach shows
that treatment for pain problems may either be localized to the pain or done
over the spinal column or limbs, away from the pain.
PEMFs applied to the inner thighs for at least 2 wk is effective short-term
therapy for migraine. Greater reduction of headache activity is achievable
with longer exposure. PEMF using a high frequency signal to the inner thigh
femoral artery area for 1 hr/day, 5 day/wk, for 2 weeks decreases headache.
One month after a treatment course, 73% of patients report decreased headache
activity vs. only half of those receiving placebo treatment. Another 2-wk of
treatment after the 1-month follow-up gives an additional 88% decrease in headache
activity. If there is no additional treatment after an initial course 72% still
show a benefit. Placebo patients getting active treatment afterwards report
much better additional improvement in headache.
Patients suffering from headache treated with a PEMF after failing acupuncture
and medications, applied to the whole body, 20 min/day for 15 days get effective
relief of migraine, tension and cervical headaches at about one month after
treatment. They have at least a 50% reduction in frequency or intensity of
the headaches and reduction in analgesic drug use. Poor results are seen in
cluster and posttraumatic headache.
Chronic pain frequently presented by postpolio patients can be relieved by
application of magnetic fields applied directly over trigger points using 300
to 500 G static magnets for 45 minutes.
Orthopedic or musculoskeletal uses
The use of PEMFs is rapidly increasing and extending to soft tissue from its
first applications to hard tissue. EMF in current orthopedic clinical practice
is used to treat delayed and non-union fractures, rotator cuff tendinitis,
spinal fusions and avascular necrosis, all of which can be very painful. Clinically
relevant response to the PEMF is generally not always immediate, requiring
daily treatment for several months in the case of non-union fractures. PEMF
signals induce maximum electric fields in the mV/cm range at frequencies below
5 kHz. Pulse radiofrequency fields (PRF) consist of bursts of sinusoidal waves
in the short wave band, usually in the 14-30 MHz range. PRF induces fields
in the V/cm range. PRF signals have higher field strengths than PEMFs. PRF
signals have low frequency bursts nearly equivalent in size to PEMFs. This
means that PRF signals have a broader band. PRF applications are best for reduction
of pain and edema. The tissue inflammation that accompanies the majority of
traumatic and chronic injuries is essential to the healing process, however
the body often over-responds and the resulting edema causes delayed healing
and pain. For soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries and post-surgical, post-traumatic
and chronic wounds, reduction of edema is thus a major therapeutic goal to
accelerate healing and associated pain. Double-blind clinical studies have
now been reported for chronic wound repair, acute ankle sprains, and acute
whiplash injuries. PRFs accelerated reduction of edema in acute ankle sprains
by 5-fold. Response to MFs is during or immediately after treatment of acute
injuries. Responses are significantly slower for bone repair. The voltage changes
induced by PRF at binding sites in macromolecules affect ion binding kinetics
with resultant modulation of biochemical cascades relevant to the inflammatory
stages of tissue repair.
High strength repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS) has been found to relieve
musculoskeletal pain. Specific diagnoses were painful shoulder with abnormal
supraspinatus tendon, tennis elbow, ulnar compression syndrome, carpal tunnel
syndrome, semilunar bone injury, traumatic amputation neuroma of the median
nerve, persistent muscle spasm of the upper and lower back, inner hamstring
tendinitis, patellofemoral arthrosis, osteochondral lesion of the heel and
posterior tibial tendinitis. Patients receive rMS for 40 minutes. Mean pain
intensity is 59% lower vs. 14% for controls. Patients with amputation neuroma
and patellofemoral arthritis obtain no benefit. Those with upper back muscle
spasms, rotator cuff injury and osteochondral heel lesions showed more than
85% decrease in pain, even after a single rMS session. Pain relief persists
for several days. None have worsening of their pain.
Osteoarthritis (OA) affects about 40 million people in the USA. OA of the knee
is a leading cause of disability in the elderly. Medical management is often
ineffective and creates additional side-effect risks. The QRS has been in use
for about 20 years in Europe. The QRS applied 8 min twice a day for 6 weeks
improves knee function and walking ability significantly. Pain, general condition
and well-being also improve. Medication use decreases and plasma fibrinogen
decreases 14%, C-reactive protein ( a sign of inflammation) drops 35% and the
blood sedimentation rate 19%. The QRS has also been found effective in degenerative
arthritis, pain syndrome and inflammatory joint disorders. Sleep disturbances
often contribute to increased pain perception. The QRS has also been found
to improve sleep. 68% report good/very good results. Even after one year follow-up,
85% claim a continuing benefit in pain reduction. Medication consumption decreases
from 39% at 8 weeks to 88% after 8 weeks.
Even strengths lower than the QRS may also treat knee pain in osteoarthritis.
Treatment for eight 6-min sessions over a 2-wk period may give a 46% decrease
in pain vs. an average 8% in the placebo group, sustained at the same level
even two weeks after treatment.
A 50 Hz pulsed magnetic field sinusoidal, 0.035 Tesla field PEMF for 15 min
for 15 treatment sessions improves hip arthritis pain in 86% of patients. Average
mobility without pain improved markedly.
Post-traumatic Sudeck-Leriche syndrome (late stage reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- RSD) is very painful pain and largely untreatable by other approaches. Ten
30-minute PEMF sessions of 50 Hz followed by a further 10 sessions at 100 Hz
plus physiotherapy and medication reduced edema and pain at 10 days. There
is no further improvement at 20 days.
Neuropathic pain syndrome (NPS) patients benefit from pulsed radiofrequency
(PRF) treatment. Patients with severe left-sided sciatica and back pain, neuropathic
pain in the anterior chest wall had been taking oral medications and had received
repeated injections of local anesthetic agents and steroids with poor results.
The patients treated with an invasive PRF applied to the related lumbar dorsal
root ganglion for 2 minutes or the spinal roots of the thoracic T2-T4 dermatomes
experience significant pain relief.
Even chronic musculoskeletal pain treated with MFs for only three days, once
per day can eliminate and/or maintain chronic musculoskeletal pain.
A static magnetic foil placed in a molded insole for the relief of heel pain
was used for 4 weeks to treat heel pain. 60% of patients in the treatment and
sham groups reported improvement. There was no significant difference in the
improvement on a foot function index. A molded insole alone was effective after
4 weeks. The magnetic foil offered no advantage over the plain insole, in this
study. This study like others with low numbers of patients, may not have had
a large enough sample. Placebo reactions in pain studies can be large and differences
in benefit may be harder to detect. In addition, since magnetic foils produce
fairly weak fields, placement against tissue becomes important, as does consideration
of the depth into the body of the target lesion or tissue. Magnetic fields
drop off in strength very rapidly from the surface.
Even small, battery-operated PEMF devices with very weak field strengths have
been benefit musculoskeletal disorders. Because of the low strength used treatment
at the site of pain may need to last between 11 to 132 days, between 2 times
per week, 4 hours each or, if needed, continuous use. Use at night could be
near the head, e.g., beneath the pillow, to facilitate sleep. Pain scale scores
are significantly better in the majority of cases. Conditions that can be considered
are arthritis, lupus erythematosus, chronic neck pain, epicondylitis, femoropatellar
degeneration, fracture of the lower leg and Sudeck's atrophy.
Musculoskeletal ailments may be also be treated solely using a broad band very
low strength PEMF mattress-like device (QRS). Diagnoses may include intervertebral
disc prolapse, spinal stenosis and osteoporosis. Only 20 sessions of 8 minutes,
twice daily for two weeks help. Pain and forward bending ability improve. Longer
term use would be expected to give even greater benefit.
240 patients treated with PEMFs in a conservative orthopedic practice had decreased
pain, increased functionality and increased point pressure thresholds, disappearance
of swelling and pathological skin coloration, less need for orthopedic devices
and less reaction to changes in the weather. Treatments are daily for an hour.
Conditions treated are: rheumatic illnesses, delayed healing process in bones
and pseudo-arthritis, including those with infections, fractures, aseptic necrosis,
loosened protheses, venous and arterial circulation, reflex sympathetic dystrophy
all stages, osteo-chondritis dissecans, osteomyelitis and sprains and strains
and bruises. The success rate approaches 80%. Even X-rays may show improvement.
cartilage/bone tissue may reform, including the joint margin. About 60% of
loosened hip protheses have subjective relief of pain and walk better, without
a cane. Perthes’ disease rarely completely reforms the articular head
of the hip.
Summary
PEMFs of various kinds and strengths have been found to have good results in
a wide array of painful conditions. There is little risk when compared to the
potential invasiveness of other therapies and the risk of toxicity, addiction
and complications from medications. Clearly more research is needed to elaborate
mechanisms and optimal treatment parameters. Many studies that have been reported
here have been controlled trials and many have been double blind placebo. Medical
practitioners are becoming gradually aware of the potential of MFs to successfully
treat or significantly benefit the myriad of problems presented to them.
Dr. Pawluk is an Asssistant Professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School. He is
a board certified family physician with training in acupuncture, nutritional/herbal
medicine, homeopathy, hypnosis and body work. He has used magnetic therapies
as part of his practice for over 10 years. He has published a book, Magnetic
Therapy in Eastern Europe: a Review of 30 years of Research. He uses a holistic
approach to treating the individual and applies the modality or modalities
most likely to help, whether individually or combined.
www.quantronmedicine.com.