Noninvasive extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF-PEMF) can be used to support healing of bone and osteochondral defects. Owing to the diversity of the ELF-PEMF characteristics regarding treatment regimen, exposure to ELF-PEMFs is generally not among the guidelines to treat bone and osteochondral defects.

A new article published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine revealed strong evidence for ELF-PEMF treatment. Here, the authors provided a concise overview of in vitro studies investigating effects of ELF-PEMF treatment on bone cells, highlighting likely mechanisms.

The article reported that although these studies favor the use of ELF-PEMF treatment, they also demonstrate the need for more defined and better controlled/monitored treatment modalities. Moreover, to establish indication-oriented treatment regimen, profound knowledge of the underlying mechanisms, related to cellular pathways/events triggered, is required. Therefore, there exists the need for more systematic studies to unravel optimal treatment conditions.

Source: Ehnert S, Schröter S, Aspera-Werz R et al. Translational Insights into Extremely Low Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (ELF-PEMFs) for Bone Regeneration after Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery. J Clin Med. 2019;8(12):2028. doi:10.3390/jcm8122028