Pulsed electromagnetic field applications: A corporate perspective

• Main Authors: Erik I. Waldorff, Nianli Zhang, James T. Ryaby
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2017-04-01
• Series: Journal of Orthopaedic Translation
• Subjects: electromagnetic field; electromagnetic wave; magnetic field therapies
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214031X16302790

Corporate establishment of US Food & Drug Administration approved pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) for clinical applications has been achieved. However, optimization of PEMFs for improvement in efficacy for current indications, in addition to the expansion into new indications, is not trivial. Moving directly into a clinical trial can be costly and carries little guarantee for success, necessitating the need for preclinical studies as supported by this review of the extensive corporate preclinical experience by Orthofix, Inc. The Translational Potential of this Article: This review illustrates the need to gain enough in vitro/in vivo knowledge of specific PEMF signals and its target tissue interaction to enable a high success rate in clinical trials.