Osteoarthritis, which is also often called degenerative, or wear and tear arthritis, is the most common joint disorder in individuals 35-40 years and up.  In the earlier stages of the disease, treatment is symptomatic aimed at reducing pain but not curing or slowing the progression of degeneration.  The most common treatment approach is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs.  Newer research has suggested that while these drugs may provide short-term pain reduction, they may actually accelerate the rate of continued degeneration.(1)

Most patients struggle along managing pain until it becomes limiting enough to consider joint replacement.  While great strides have been made in joint replacement, there can be several complications associated with these procedures including infection and failure of the prothesis to hold because of bone thinning.  Even with an effective joint replacement, the prosthesis may not last an individual’s remaining lifespan. Recent study found that 35% of men in their early 50s receiving joint replacement required a second operation.(2) 

While joint replacement can be a valuable treatment for advanced osteoarthritis, treatment that can control symptoms and actually cause some tissue regeneration can delay the need for replacement and in some cases be adequate treatment in the long-term.  More recently another treatment category has entered therapy options before joint replacement is needed, regenerative therapy.  Regenerative therapy goes beyond the symptoms control actually facilitating tissue regeneration. This can significantly delay the need for joint replacement and in some making it un-necessary all together.

Regenerative therapies involve harvesting tissue components that are normally involved in tissue repair.  These may include platelet rich plasma (PRP), stem cells and stem cell exosomes.  These therapies are only slightly invasive but do carry a small risk of complications.  While they are helpful in some cases, they may not be in others.  PRP has been found to be successful in 50% of those with severe osteoarthritis of the knee and in 60% with moderate disease.(3)  The effect lasts from 6-12 months requiring recurring treatment.

Perhaps the most helpful completely non-invasive regenerative therapy for osteoarthritis is pulsed electromagnetic therapy (PEMF).  PEMF is applied using a electromagnetic solenoid encircling the affected area which generates a magnetic field.  This field stimulates the same regenerative pathways that occur with PRP or stem cell therapy.  It also activates cell adenosine receptors which inhibits inflammation.

A summary of the clinical trials of PEMF for osteoarthritis of the knee found that pain scores with this therapy decreased 60%. Function related to decreased pain as measured by WOMAC scales increased 42%.(4)  These improvements were comparable to those seen with injection based therapies such as PRP.  No adverse effects have been reported with PEMF.  Similar benefits were found for PEMF for osteoarthritis of the spine.

PEMF therapy is ideally suited to those with osteoarthritis who prefer an entirely noninvasive treatment and in those who have tried treatments such as PRP or stem cell injections without success.  It can be equally helpful in delaying or avoiding the need for joint replacement.  The researchers who performed the above summary of the clinical trials with PEMF for osteoarthritis summarized their conclusions, “Diverse PEMF applications revealed promising results, emphasizing pain reduction and improvement in the quality of life of patients”.

1. Na et al.  CONSISTENT INHIBITION OF CYCLOOXYGENASE DRIVES MACROPHAGES TOWARDS THE INFLAMMATORY PHENOTYPE. PLoS ONE, 2015;10(2):e0118203.
2. Bayliss et al.  THE EFFECT OF PATIENT AGE AT INTERVENTION ON RISK OF IMPLANT REVISION AFTER TOTAL REPLACEMENT OF THE HIP OR KNEE: A POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY.  Lancet, 2017 Apr 8;389(10077):1424-1430.
3. Saita et al.  PREDICTORS OF EFFECTIVENESS OF PLATELET-RICH PLASMA THERAPY FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY.  J Clin Med. 2021 Sep 29;10(19):4514.
4. Cianni et al.  CURRENT EVIDENCE USING PULSED ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS IN OSTEOARTHRITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.  J Clin Med, 2024;13(7):1959.