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Health care costs are increasing alarmingly, which will impose an overwhelming economic burden to an aging society like that of Hong Kong. For example, degenerative musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis (OA) present a grand challenge with its high prevalence (>40% in the elderly suffered from knee OA). Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, and around 2 million population worldwide suffer from this disorder. OA is a debilitating progressive disease with typical pathological progress such as cartilage degeneration, inflammation, joint width narrowing and developing osteophytes. The main system of knee OA is acute pain leading to loss of mobility. There is no effective treatment to cure or stop the progression of OA. For now, the main method is to alleviate the pain and symptoms, including control weight, exercise, physical treatment and intake of NSAIDs/ paracetamol.
Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) treatment has shown to enhance cell activity related to tissue healing, delay bone and cartilage degeneration and give beneficial effects such as relief in pain, anti-inflammation and reduce swelling. In clinic, PEMF treatment has been reported to be safe, and has been proved to reduce the usage of NSAIDs and pain in patients with knee OA.
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of PEMF therapy on for patients with knee OA.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild-to-moderate Knee OA PEMF Treatment | Experimental | Patients with Mild-to-moderate Knee OA will accept PEMF treatment |
|
| Mild-to-moderate Knee OA Placebo Treatment | Placebo Comparator | Patients with Mild-to-moderate Knee OA will accept placebo treatment |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEMF treatment | Device | Patient will receive a PEMF treatment. The involved leg will be exposed to PEMF for 30 minutes per session, and the treatment regime will run three times a week for eight weeks, summing up 24 sessions of PEMF exposure in total. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle power | The isometric strength of the knee flexors and extensors was measured by a handheld dynamometer (MicroFET2, Hoggan Scientific, United States) | Baseline (pre-treatment), 2 months (immediate post-treatment), 8 months (6 months post-treatment), and 14 months (12 months post-treatment) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Sonography | The femoral cartilage thickness in the affected knee was evaluated by ultrasound imaging (Aixplorer Ultimate, SuperSonic Imagine, France) | Baseline (pre-treatment), 2 months (immediate post-treatment), 8 months (6 months post-treatment), and 14 months (12 months post-treatment) |
| Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Hospital | Shatin | Hong Kong |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41588476 | Derived | Lau KKL, Chen ASC, Fu CHY, Ng JP, Ong MTY, Yung PSH, Lui PPY. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy for Mild-to-Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2026 Feb;17(1):e70199. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.70199. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D020370 | Osteoarthritis, Knee |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D010003 | Osteoarthritis |
| D001168 | Arthritis |
| D007592 | Joint Diseases |
| D009140 | Musculoskeletal Diseases |
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| Placebo treatment | Device | Patient will receive a placebo treatment. The involved leg will be exposed to placebo treatment for 30 minutes per session, and the treatment regime will run three times a week for eight weeks, summing up 24 sessions of placebo exposure in total. |
|
The lean muscle mass of the affected leg was assessed through the DXA scan (Horizon, Hologic, United States) |
| Baseline (pre-treatment), 2 months (immediate post-treatment), 8 months (6 months post-treatment), and 14 months (12 months post-treatment) |
| 6-meter timed walking test | The gait speed was calculated | Baseline (pre-treatment), 2 months (immediate post-treatment), 8 months (6 months post-treatment), and 14 months (12 months post-treatment) |
| 30-second chair stand test | The total number of stands completed within this timeframe was documented | Baseline (pre-treatment), 2 months (immediate post-treatment), 8 months (6 months post-treatment), and 14 months (12 months post-treatment) |
| X-ray Radiography | Standing X-rays assessed eligibility based on the Kellgren-Lawrence system and minimum joint space width. | Baseline (pre-treatment), 2 months (immediate post-treatment), and 14 months (12 months post-treatment) |
| WOMAC | The WOMAC questionnaire includes 24 questions divided into three subscales: pain, stiffness, and physical function. The total score varies from 0 to 96, where a higher score signifies more severe symptoms. | Baseline (pre-treatment), 2 months (immediate post-treatment), 8 months (6 months post-treatment), and 14 months (12 months post-treatment) |
| D012216 |
| Rheumatic Diseases |