Electromagnetic pulses may ease osteoarthritis pain

Published on 08 Mar 2010

A battery-operated device that emits electromagnetic pulses could provide significant pain relief to people with osteoarthritis of the knee, scientists have claimed.

Researchers at the Osteoarthritis Centre at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, found that patients who used the devices typically reported improvements on their very first day of treatment.

The scientists recruited 34 patients, all of whom had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Participants were given a portable battery-operated device which emits a low-intensity pulsating electromagnetic frequency and were told the strap the device around their affected knee for 15 minutes, twice a day for six weeks.

Some of the participants unknowingly received devices that were ineffective in order to form a control group.

The researchers found that patients who used a fully functioning device tended to benefit from less pain and inflammation than those with the ineffective devices.

On average, participants reported more than 40 per cent pain relief on day one of their treatment.

Dr Fred Nelson, associate programme director for research and director of the hospital's Osteoarthritis Centre, presented the findings at the annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in New Orleans.

He revealed: "Our results show pulsed electromagnetic fields caused a significant decrease in pain."

Dr Nelson explained that electromagnetic signals have been shown to decrease the level of calcium in cartilage cells in the laboratory, thereby triggering a series of chemical events that ultimately reduces inflammation.

He noted: "The exciting thing about this new approach is that it has been found to have no side-effects, it is relatively low-cost in the long run, and the onset of pain relief is immediate.

"We look at electromagnetic pulses as a potential way to improve quality of life and independence for those who suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee."

A spokeswoman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said that its own study of pulsed electromagnetic therapy in 350 people with neck pain showed that it added little extra to the standard treatment of exercise and advice. However, the technique had its place in the NHS in treating some patients with chronic pain such as arthritis, she added.

Electromagnetic therapy will be one of several complementary therapies to be assessed in a forthcoming report by the charity, expected early next year.

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