Pulsed electromagnetic fields improve bone mineral density and bone metabolism after stroke / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of a pulsed electromagnetic field ( PEMFS) on bone mineral density and bone metabolism in males with osteoporosis after a stroke. Methods Fifty male stroke survivors with os-teoporosis were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group, both of 25. Both groups were treated with routine rehabilitation, oral calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 tablets, while the treatment group was additionally pro-vided with PEMFS treatment. The subjects′bone mineral density ( BMD) and their blood levels of bone-specific alka-line phosphatase (B-ALP), type I procollagen amino-terminal peptide (PINP) and type β-I collagen cross-linked carboxy-terminal peptide (β-CTx) were measured before and after the 12 weeks of treatment. Results After the treatment the BMD values of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, trochanter and Ward′s triangle had increased signifi-cantly in both groups, but the average BMD values of the lumbar spine and femoral neck in the treatment group were significantly higher than those of the control group. After the treatment, the average B-ALP, PINP andβ-CTx levels of both groups had also improved significantly compared with before the treatment, but the average improvement in all three among the treatment group was significantly greater than among the controls. Conclusion PEMFS treatment supplementing routine rehabilitation, oral calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 tablets can improve bone formation, re-duce bone resorption and increase bone mineral density in men after a stroke.