Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMFT, or PEMF therapy), also known as low field magnetic stimulation (LFMS) is the use of electromagnetic fields in an attempt to heal non-union fractures and depression.[1] By 2007 the FDA had cleared several such stimulation devices.[2]
| Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy | |
|---|---|
 Drolet's 1990 Rhumart system, a PEMF device. | |
| Other names | Pulsed magnetic therapy, pulse magnetotherapy (PEMF) |
In 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned a manufacturer for promoting the device for unapproved uses such as cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury.[3]
Efficacy
edit
While PEMF therapy is claimed to offer some benefits in the treatment of fractures, the evidence is inconclusive and is insufficient to inform current clinical practice.[4]
History
editPrior to 2000, in parallel with the PEMF research being done in Western Europe, the United States, and Japan, a great deal of scientific work was being done in scientific isolation behind the Iron Curtain, as summarized in a detailed technical report,[5] showing scientific evidence for promising benefits from the use of PEMF for a very wide range of applications including peripheral vascular disease, lung disease, gastrointestinal disease, neurological disease, rheumatic disease, pediatrics, dermatology, surgery, gynecology, oral medicine, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, immunity, inflammation, reproduction, and tumors, based on over 200 referenced scientific papers involving both human and animal studies.[5]
Veterinarians were the first health professionals to use PEMF therapy, usually to attempt to heal broken legs in racehorses.[6] In 2004, a pulsed electromagnetic field system was approved by the FDA as an adjunct to cervical fusion surgery in patients at high risk for non-fusion.[6] On 8/9 September 2020 the FDA recommended to shift PEMF medical devices from the Class 3 category to a Class 2 status.[7] PEMF devices that have been FDA cleared are able to make health claims that require a doctor's prescription for use.[citation needed][8][failed verification]
Although claims that electricity might aid bone healing were reported as early as 1841, it was not until the mid-1950s that scientists seriously studied the subject. During the 1970s, Bassett and his team introduced a new approach which attempted to treat delayed fractures; a technique that employed a very specific biphasic low frequency signal to be applied for non-union/delayed fractures.[9][10][11][12] The use of electrical stimulation in the lumbosacral region was first attempted by Alan Dwyer of Australia.[13][14]
Wellness devices
editThe original PEMF devices consisted of a Helmholtz coil which generated a magnetic field. The patient's body was placed inside the magnetic field to deliver treatment. Today, the majority of PEMF wellness devices resemble a typical yoga mat in dimensions but are slightly thicker to house several flat spiral coils to produce an even electromagnetic field. A frequency generator is then used to energize the coils to create a pulsed electromagnetic field. A wide variety of professional and consumer PEMF devices are sold and marketed as FDA registered wellness devices.[8] The majority are manufactured in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and are imported into North America as electric massagers or full body electric yoga mats. They are either placed on a massage table for clinical use or directly on the floor in the home to practice simple yoga postures. The companies that sell and manufacture them as "general wellness products" are not permitted to make medical claims of effectiveness in treating disease.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Martiny, K; Lunde, M; Bech, P (15 July 2010). "Transcranial low voltage pulsed electromagnetic fields in patients with treatment-resistant depression". Biological Psychiatry. 68 (2): 163–169. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.02.017. PMID 20385376. S2CID 799448.
- ^ Markov, Marko S (2007). "Expanding Use of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapies". Electromagnetic Biology & Medicine. 26 (3): 257–274. doi:10.1080/15368370701580806. PMID 17886012. S2CID 10871893.
- ^ "Warning Letters – Curatronic Ltd. 1/9/13". www.fda.gov. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ Griffin, XL; Costa, ML; Parsons, N; Smith, N (13 April 2011). "Electromagnetic field stimulation for treating delayed union or non-union of long bone fractures in adults". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (4): CD008471. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008471.pub2. PMID 21491410.
- ^ a b Jerabeck, J; Pawluk, W (1998). Magnetic therapy in eastern Europe : a review of 30 years of research. W. Pawluk. ISBN 0966422708.[page needed]
- ^ a b "Electrical stimulation of the spine as an adjunct to spinal fusion procedures". Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
Pulsed electromagnetic field systems with FDA PMA include the EBI Bone Healing System from Electrobiology, Inc., which was first approved in 1979 and indicated for nonunions, failed fusions, and congenital pseudarthroses; and the Cervical-Stim from Orthofix, which was approved in 2004 as an adjunct to cervical fusion surgery in patients at high risk for non-fusion.
- ^ "Reclassification of Non-Invasive Bone Growth Stimulators". Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "General Wellness: Policy for Low Risk Devices - Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff" (PDF). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ Bassett CA, Pawluk RJ, Pilla AA; Pawluk; Pilla (1974). "Acceleration of fracture repair by electromagnetic fields. A surgically noninvasive method". Ann N Y Acad Sci. 238 (1): 242–262. Bibcode:1974NYASA.238..242B. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1974.tb26794.x. PMID 4548330. S2CID 40853657.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bassett CA, Pawluk RJ, Pilla AA; Pawluk; Pilla (1974). "Augmentation of Bone Repair by Inductively Coupled Electromagnetic Fields". Science. 184 (4136): 575–577. Bibcode:1974Sci...184..575B. doi:10.1126/science.184.4136.575. PMID 4821958. S2CID 21947271.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bassett CA, Pilla AA, Pawluk RJ; Pilla; Pawluk (1977). "A non-operative salvage of surgically-resistant pseudarthroses and non-unions by pulsing electromagnetic fields. A preliminary report". Clin Orthop. 124 (124): 128–143. doi:10.1097/00003086-197705000-00017. PMID 598067.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bassett CA, Mitchell SN, Norton L, Pilla A; Mitchell; Norton; Pilla (1978). "Repair of non-unions by pulsing electromagnetic fields". Acta Orthop Belg. 44 (5): 706–724. PMID 380258.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Mackenzie, Donald, Francis D Veninga; Veninga (2004). "Reversal of delayed union of anterior cervical fusion treated with pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation: case report". Southern Medical Journal. 97 (5): 519–524. doi:10.1097/00007611-200405000-00021. PMID 15180031.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[unreliable medical source?] - ^ Bose, B (2001). "Outcomes after posterolateral lumbar fusion with instrumentation in patients treated with adjunctive pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation". Advances in Therapy. 18 (1): 12–20. doi:10.1007/BF02850247. PMID 11512529. S2CID 38636552.