Arthritis Knee Pain Dimmed With Electromagnetic Pulse

March 8, 2010 8:14 am 7 comments

The good news is that researchers at the Osteoarthritis Center at the Henry Ford Hospital have found that electromagnetic pulses can significantly decrease pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis of the knee. The bad news is that the equipment used in the Henry Ford research–a portable battery-operated device that emits a low-intensity pulsating electromagnetic frequency- is not the kind of thing you can pick up  at the local  drug store, yet. A Henry Ford Hospital press release reports that when 34 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were placed in a double blind randomized placebo-controlled study, 40 percent felt relief from pain on their first day.The patients strapped a small, ring-shaped plastic device around their
knees for 15 minutes, twice daily for six weeks.  How does it work, exactly? Henry Ford researchers explain that electromagnetic signals have been shown to decrease calcium in
cartilage cells, and that process can set off a series of chemical events that can
lead to reduced inflammation. They point out that similar electromagnetic fields
have been used to control pain related to cosmetic surgery.

Read more from the Henry Ford Hospital.

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