PEMF therapy has been FDA-approved for healing nonunion fractures and has also been shown to ease symptoms associated with osteoarthritis (OA). PEMF can be applied both human and animal medical applications – particularly veterinary medicine.
Callaghan and Goudarzi discovered that PEMF exposure can speed the time needed for wound closure in diabetic ulcers, with results likely depending on which waveform was exposed to.
Muscles and Joints
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, or PEMFs, are an effective solution for injuries and pain in muscles, joints, and bones. By stimulating natural healing processes in the body, PEMF treatments promote less pain while increasing mobility – ideal for patients suffering musculoskeletal issues or chronic discomfort. PEMFs penetrate deeply into all body tissues including bone and muscle; without generating heat they alter cell-signalling pathways to promote growth, regeneration, wound healing or tissue growth.
Researchers have demonstrated that PEMFs are capable of activating genes and proteins responsible for bone and muscle development, repair, and turnover – making them an invaluable adjunct therapy option in treating many musculoskeletal conditions and diseases. PEMFs can increase concentrations of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase while stimulating formation of new osteoblasts as well as decreasing levels of bone resorption/degeneration; furthermore they’ve been shown to enhance resistance training effectiveness as well as speed recovery time in injured athletes.
PEMFs can enhance recovery from exercise by increasing muscle amplitude during warm-up and shortening electromechanical delays in peak force generation, while increasing activity among type-I and type-II muscle fibers normally poorly activated during light exercise. Furthermore, they may help alleviate delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
PEMFs may also prove helpful in treating rheumatic disorders and chronic inflammatory conditions, by decreasing swelling and inflammation caused by conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. Nitric oxide therapy can also increase production, increasing blood flow and oxygen delivery to damaged tissue while simultaneously relieving pain associated with fibromyalgia, sciatica and neuropathic pain conditions. PEMFs can be particularly effective at treating muscle conditions, including tennis elbow, rotator cuff injuries, plantar fasciitis, iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS), runner’s knee syndrome (RSK), carpal tunnel syndrome and “whiplash” injuries to the cervical spine from whiplash injuries. They may also benefit tendons and ligaments such as Achilles tendonitis bursitis calcaneal osteoarthritis flat feet as well as tendonitis Achilles tendonitis
Bones
Every cell in our bodies holds energy. Like mobile phone batteries, they need to be charged regularly in order to function optimally. Many health factors sap away this vital energy – including pain and fatigue. PEMF therapy recharges every cell so they can take in nutrients, contract muscles as needed, repair tissue effectively – this process is known as homeostasis.
PEMF therapy has been shown to enhance molecular, cellular, and tissue processes that result in faster bone healing rates following fractures or spinal fusion surgery. PEMF can assist in improving circulation, inflammation responses and scar tissue formation resulting in faster healing rates for such injuries.
PEMF therapy is an FDA-approved noninvasive solution to bone loss dating back to 1979 (used by NASA astronauts during long space flights) and recent studies have demonstrated its benefits in relieving muscle and nerve conditions as well.
Animal and cell studies have confirmed the effect of PEMF on bone density, strength, and healing. PEMF appears to achieve this by stimulating various intermediary and hormonal pathways which result in increasing osteoblast bone-building activity while attenuating osteoclastic bone breakage.
Bone fractures are one of the primary causes of morbidity and disability among patients, often necessitating hospitalization and decreased quality of life. Annually, 178 million new fractures occur with most occurring among women and senior citizens – an immense health burden. PEMF technology has been shown to significantly accelerate bone healing while decreasing healing times significantly, particularly for complex fractures with delayed union.
Although these early studies were generally positive, PEMF success rates for bone healing vary widely due to the different parameters employed in each study. A comparison study between various PEMF waveform treatments on bone healing could prove very worthwhile.
Muscle Spasms
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy enhances energy production in your body, aiding cells to function more effectively. It accelerates electrolyte movement and decreases waste produced by cells while improving blood flow to tissues and muscles, aiding healing from injuries by speeding up tissue regeneration; all with no drugs or surgery involved and very few side effects.
Muscle spasms can occur after sports injuries and are typically the result of decreased production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), an essential energy source. PEMF treatments have been found to stimulate this production and thus decrease muscle spasm intensity due to myosin phosphorylation; PEMF treatments encourage this process more efficiently by dissolving myosin phosphatation into more efficiently producing ATP than before. Furthermore, PEMF helps alleviate soreness by dissolving lactic acid which builds up in muscle tissue which then relieve soreness or stiffness caused by building up tension within these tissues.
PEMF therapy also benefits by passing through cell walls without disturbing them, increasing oxygen uptake and therefore the amount of energy available to cells – providing greater circulation, decreased muscle spasms, better sleep and reduced stress/depression/fatigue which allows individuals to be more productive throughout the day.
PEMFs have been proven to be extremely effective at alleviating pain associated with fibromyalgia, chronic back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. These results come from multiple randomized controlled trials that compared PEMFs against placebos among individuals suffering from such discomfort.
Studies pertaining to these trials used various frequencies and pulse characteristics associated with PEMF therapy, such as repetition frequencies, amplitudes, signal gradients/symmetries/exposure durations etc. One such trial employed a system consisting of 3Hz with an amplitude of 2.3mT that showed reduction of pain for those in the treatment group versus no decrease for those in control groups.
PEMF systems utilize electromagnetic frequencies and pulsing patterns that have been scientifically demonstrated to affect each cell tissue differently, making PEMF therapy so successful. Different frequencies and pulse rates provide benefits such as faster muscle recovery, pain relief, detoxification, immune stimulation stimulation and better sleep for your body.
Side Effects
Contrary to ultrasound and shock wave therapies which generate thermal energy through mechanical vibration, PEMF therapy does not cause direct thermal effects. Instead, electromagnetic energy causes a slight rise in cell membrane permeability, which allows more ions into cells for gene expression as well as stimulating second messenger activation, stimulating cell growth factor production, leading to improved cellular function and tissue regeneration.
PEMF technology has been extensively researched over four decades of medical research. PEMF was first approved by the FDA in 1979 as a nonunion fracture healing therapy, later expanding to treat fibromyalgia symptoms, an adjunctive therapy during cervical fusion surgery procedures, and depression in those unresponsive to medication treatments.
PEMF therapy not only reduces pain and improves mobility in musculoskeletal structures, but it can also be used to ease anxiety and promote relaxation by decreasing hormones and neurotransmitters that create an exaggerated fight or flight response in the body when not needed. PEMF can even help alleviate headaches by relaxing muscles around the forehead and temples.
Researchers have discovered that low-intensity pulsed magnetic fields significantly boost alpha and theta brain activity associated with relaxation. A study on healthy women revealed that magnetic pulses applied at 10Hz alpha frequency on top of their head significantly reduced higher anxiety-associated frequencies in their EEG.
PEMF therapy has also been shown to activate neural stem cells, which help repair nerve injury and reestablish the neural circuitry – this is particularly useful for conditions such as spinal cord and nerve injuries, stroke, cerebral ischemia and multiple sclerosis. Unlike traditional medications which may cause serious side effects, PEMF therapy doesn’t produce any known side effects at all; most people feel an immediate sense of calm and relief after each PEMF session that lasts from hours to days and builds over time after multiple sessions; any fatigue afterwards will quickly fade as benefits from these sessions begin taking effect and reaping their rewards over time.
