Pulse Electromagnetic Field for Treating Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Author: Shuang Lang1,2,3, Jianxiong Ma1,2, Shuwei Gong1,2,3, Yan Wang1, Benchao Dong1, Xinlong Ma1,2
Affiliation:
1 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Orthopedic Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Orthopedic Research Institute, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China.
2 Orthopaedics Institute, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China.
3 Graduate School, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Conference/Journal: Bioelectromagnetics
Date published: 2022 Jul 21
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.1002/bem.22419. , Word Count: 245


Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a type of chronic disease with high morbidity and high economic burden. Due to the adverse effects of long-term drug therapy, physical therapy, such as pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF), is widely implemented in clinical practice. Therefore, we first conducted the meta-analysis on the efficacy and safety of PEMF in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. We searched eight databases to acquire potentially eligible studies. Outcome indicators include bone mineral density (BMD), visual analogue scale (VAS), biochemical markers of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP), type I collagen carboxy-terminal peptide (CTX), and adverse events. The results showed that a total of 19 studies (1303 patients) were retrieved from eight databases. Compared with conventional medications, PEMF combined with conventional medications significantly increased BMD of lumbar vertebra, femoral, Ward's triangle, bone-specific biochemical indicators of ALP, BSAP, and osteocalcin, and relieved pain. However, The incidence of adverse events was not statistically significant between PEMF combined with conventional medications and conventional medications alone. Compared with conventional medications, PEMF significantly increased the BMD of the femur and reduced the degree of pain, but there was no statistical difference in the BMD of the lumbar spine between PEMF and placebo. Except osteocalcin, BSAP, CTX, and ALP showed no significant difference. In view of its efficacy and safety, PEMF intervention can be considered as a potentially effective complementary therapy for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. © 2022 Bioelectromagnetics Society.

Keywords: meta-analysis; postmenopausal osteoporosis; pulse electromagnetic field; randomized controlled trials; systematic review.

PMID: 35864717 DOI: 10.1002/bem.22419

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