Osteoporosis is a disease leading to increased risk of bone fractures. The reason for the bone fractures is the loss of bone volume and mass, as well as pathological changes in the bone microarchitecture. For over thirty years, studies have been conducted on the application of variable magnetic field in treatments of cardiovascular disorders. Encouraging results convinced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency to accept the therapy with the use of alternating magnetic field as a safe and effective method for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Magnetic field as a therapy for osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease leading to increased risk of bone fractures. The reason for the bone fractures is the loss of bone volume and mass, as well as pathological changes in the bone microarchitecture. For over thirty years, studies have been conducted on the application of variable magnetic field in treatments of cardiovascular disorders. Encouraging results convinced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency to accept the therapy with the use of alternating magnetic field as a safe and effective method for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Effectiveness evaluation of the magnetotherapy in a human model
One of the most cited studies on osteoporosis treatments is the study described by Tabrah. He studied effects of alternating magnetic field on bone density. For this purpose, 20 women with identified osteoporosis risk were subjected to the influence of magnetic field. For 12 weeks, magnetic field with a frequency of 72 Hz was applied per 10h a day. A non-dominant forearm of the study participants was exposed to the influence of magnetic field. After the complete observation, density of the radial bone subjected to treatment was controlled. The study author found statistically significant increase in bone density in the treated area. A similar, but less noticeable effect was also observed in the contralateral limb. Magnetotherapy effects proved to be impermanent and they disappeared within 36 weeks after the treatment completion.
Conclusion: The alternating magnetic field is an effective method to fight osteoporosis, but the treatments must be repeated. Treatments with alternating magnetic field effectively increase bone density. However, due to the results instability, the increased bone density should be used to introduce an active training against osteoporosis and / or combined with a suitably chosen pharmacotherapy.
Effectiveness evaluation of the magnetotherapy in an animal model
Studies were performed in an animal model in order to investigate the preventive influence of the magnetic field on osteoporotic disease development. Achieved results cannot be uncritically transposed to humans, nevertheless such studies have several advantages. One of them is the ability to induce the process of osteoporosis and thereby gaining a single study group that meets the criteria for the study. Another advantage is the possibility of taking bone material for tests, which contributes to more accurate results. In order to verify protective effects of electromagnetic fields on the development of osteoporosis Sert and others conducted a study in an animal model – rats with bilateral ovariectomy. 18 female rats were selected for the experiment, 10 of them constituted the study group and 8 were assigned to the control group. Both groups were bred in the same laboratory. After ovariectomy, the study group was exposed to the effects of the electromagnetic field, while the control group had no contact with the therapeutic magnetic field. Researchers applied the magnetic field with following parameters: magnetic field frequency: 50 Hz, electromagnetic induction: 1 mT, field shape: sine, exposure time: 4 hours a day for six weeks. At the end of the experiment, bone material was taken for microscopic and biochemical examination. In the control group, the researchers found thinning layer of cortical bone and the disruption of the bone microstructure. The study group showed thicker layer of cortical bone in comparison with the control group (significance level p < 0.002) and greater organization of bone microarchitecture. It also showed higher content of sodium and potassium in the study group in comparison with the control group (significance level in case of the sodium content was p < 0.001, whereas in case of the potassium content: p < 0.002). Researchers found no differences between groups in terms of contained calcium, magnesium, and lithium.
Conclusion: The applied magnetic field parameters effectively slowed down the process of osteoporosis in an animal model. Indirectly, this may indicate on beneficial effects of the electromagnetic field in the prevention of osteoporosis progress in women with estrogen deficiency.
Literature:
Cemil Sert, Mustafa Denız, M.Zahir Düz, Feyzan Aks¸ Abdurrahman Kaya: The preventive effect on bone loss of 50-Hz, 1-mT electromagnetic field in ovariectomized rats
Huang Li-qun, He Hong-chen, He Cheng-qi, Chen Jian, Yang Lin: Clinical update of pulsed electromagnetic fields on osteoporosis
Naomi N. Shurpak: Therapeutic uses of pulsem magnetic-field exposure: a review
