Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
13:29
Electric and Magnetic Field Devices for Stimulation of Biological Tissues
Published on: May 15, 2021
[Electromagnetic fields, electric current and bone healing - what is the evidence?]
B Schmidt-Rohlfing1, J Silny, K Gavenis
1Klinik für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Aachen. bschmidt-rohlfing@ukaachen.de
Zeitschrift Fur Orthopadie Und Unfallchirurgie
|January 25, 2011
Summary
Electrical stimulation, including pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF), shows potential for bone healing but remains controversial. Further high-quality research is needed to establish standardized treatment protocols for this therapy.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Electrical stimulation has been explored for over 30 years to enhance bone healing.
- Despite extensive research, its efficacy remains controversial, and it is not a standardized treatment.
- Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) are a common modality investigated for bone repair.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze randomized clinical trials on electrical and electromagnetic fields for bone healing.
- To assess the overall effect of these therapies on the rate of bone healing.
- To identify potential benefits and limitations of current therapeutic approaches.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant randomized clinical trials.
- Nine studies, totaling 915 patients, were included in the meta-analysis using a random effects model.
- The primary endpoint for analysis was the rate of bone healing.
Main Results:
- The meta-analysis of nine studies revealed a cumulative odds ratio of 3.5 (95% CI: 1.94-6.3) for bone healing.
- However, subgroup analysis indicated that statistically significant results were not confirmed in studies with higher methodological quality.
- Heterogeneity in physical parameters (frequency, time course, flux densities) and methodological deficits were noted.
Conclusions:
- While a meta-analysis suggests a positive effect of electromagnetic fields on bone healing, high-quality evidence is lacking.
- Methodological limitations and variability in treatment parameters hinder definitive conclusions.
- Standardized therapeutic recommendations or protocols for electrical stimulation in bone healing are currently unavailable.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Electromagnetic Fields
Electric fields generated by static charges, often referred to as electrostatic fields, are characteristically different from electric fields created by time-varying magnetic fields. While the former is a conservative field, implying that no net work is done on a test charge if it goes around in a complete loop in the field, the latter is, by definition, not a conservative field; net work is done, and it is proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux.
However, the observation of Gauss's...
However, the observation of Gauss's...
01:27Induced Electric Fields: Applications
An important distinction exists between the electric field induced by a changing magnetic field and the electrostatic field produced by a fixed charge distribution. Specifically, the induced electric field is nonconservative because it does not work in moving a charge over a closed path. In contrast, the electrostatic field is conservative and does no net work over a closed path. Hence, electric potential can be associated with the electrostatic field but not the induced field. The following...
01:23Induced Electric Fields
The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...
01:30Electromagnetic Waves
James Clerk Maxwell formulated a single theory combining all the electric and magnetic effects scientists knew during that time, calling the phenomena his theory predicted “Electromagnetic waves”. He brought together all the work that had been done by brilliant physicists such as Oersted, Coulomb, Gauss, and Faraday and added his own insights to develop the overarching theory of electromagnetism. Maxwell’s equations, combined with the Lorentz force law, encompass all the laws of electricity and...
01:22Magnetic Force On Current-Carrying Wires: Example
In a magnetic field, moving charges encounter a force. If a wire contains these moving charges, i.e., if the wire is carrying a current, then a force acts on the wire as well. Consider a pair of flexible leads holding a wire that is 40 cm long and 10 g in weight in a horizontal position. The wire is placed in a constant magnetic field of 0.40 T, as shown in Figure 1(a). Determine the magnitude and direction of the current flowing in the wire needed to remove the tension in the supporting leads.
01:26Applications of EMF Measurements
Electromotive force (EMF) measurements have a broad range of applications in various fields, including chemistry and physics. The electrochemical series, an arrangement of elements in order of their standard electrode potentials, can be determined through EMF measurements. Elements with lower standard potentials can reduce ions of elements with higher standard potentials.The standard cell potential, E°, allows for the calculation of the standard reaction Gibbs energy, ΔG°, and the equilibrium...