ab22503

Efficacy and safety of a musically modulated electromagnetic field (TAMMEF) in patients affected by knee osteoarthritis

E. Battisti¹, E. Piazza¹, M. Rigato¹, R. Nuti², L. Bianciardi³, A. Scribano², N. Giordano²

¹Department of Medical Physics, ²Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrine-Metabolic and Biochemical Sciences, and 3C.I.R.D.I.B., University of Siena, Italy

ABSTRACT
Objective
Numerous studies have demonstrated the utility of extremely low frequencies (ELF) electromagnetic fields in clinical practice. Moreover, the effects of these fields seems to depend on their respective codes (frequency, intensity, waveform). In our study we want to value the effects of the TAMMEF (Therapeutic Application of a Musically Modulated Electromagnetic Field) system, which field is piloted by a musical signal.

Methods
Ninety subjects, affected by primary osteoarthritis of the knee, were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into three groups of 30 patients each: A exposed to TAMMEF, B exposed to ELF, C exposed to a simulated field. All subjects underwent a cycle of 15 daily sessions of 30 minutes each and a clinical examination upon enrolment, after 7 days of therapy, at the end of the cycle and at a follow-up 30 days later.

Results
All the patients of groups A and B completed the therapy without the appearance of side effects: they presented a significant improvement of the subjective pain and the functional limitation, which remained stable at the follow-up examination. In group C, there was no improvement of the pain symptoms or articular functionality.

Conclusions
This study suggests that the TAMMEF system is efficacious in the control of pain symptoms and in the reduction of functional limitation in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Moreover, the effects of the TAMMEF system cover those produced by the ELF field.

Key words
Electromagnetic fields, therapy, osteoarthritis, analgesic-antiinflammatory activity, TAMMEF.

This study was supported in part by a contribution from the "Fondazione del Monte dei Paschi di Siena", Siena, Italy.
Please address correspondence and reprint requests to: Emilio Battisti, MD, Fisica Medica, Via delle Scotte no. 1, Ospedale S. Maria alle Scotte, 53100 Siena, Italy.
E-mail: battistie@unisi.it