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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative condition involving the joints caused by metabolic changes in chondrocytes metabolism. Treatment with magnetic fields (EMFs) produces benefits to patients affected by this pathology. The present research has the aim to investigate, by a proteomic approach, the effect of magnetic fields on cultured chondrocytes, because EMFs interferes greatly with OA chondrocytes metabolism. Human osteoarthritic chondrocytes were obtained from the femur head of osteoarthritis adult patients and were cultured under standard conditions and exposed for precise times both to extremely low-frequency (ELF; 100-Hz) electromagnetic fields and to the Therapeutic Application of Musically Modulated Electromagnetic Fields (TAMMEF), which are characterized by variable frequencies, intensities, and wave shapes. We tested the effects of the different exposure by 2-DE analysis and demonstrated that chondrocytes metabolism was highly influenced by the treatment with EMFs; in fact many proteins change their expression after the stimulation, but differently, depending on whether we use ELF or TAMMEF system.

The study and observation of electromagnetic phenomena have followed the evolution of human thought from the dawn of civilization to the present day; also magnetotherapy has followed a similar path. Magnetotherapy has been applied and continues to be applied in many branches and fields of medicine, as it accelerates the healing of fractures, has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that can help in inflammatory or degenerative diseases of bones, joints and the peripheral nervous system, and stimulates the healing of open skin lesions (such as bed sores, diabetic ulcers) etc. If magnetotherapy has so many fields of application in medicine, we may therefore ask why doubts, prejudice and limitations to its therapeutic use still exist. This brief historical excursion wants to give a small contribution to answer the question.

The utility and the safety of the extremely low frequencies (ELF) electromagnetic fields in the treatment of numerous diseases have been demonstrated. Moreover, the effects of these fields seem to depend on their respective codes (frequency, intensity, waveform). We want to value the effects and the safety of the therapeutic application of a musically modulated electromagnetic field (TAMMEF) system, which field is piloted by a musical signal and its parameters (frequency, intensity, waveform) are modified in time, randomly varying within the respective ranges, so that all possible codes can occur during a single application. Sixty subjects, affected by shoulder periarthritis were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into three groups of 20 patients each: the first exposed to TAMMEF, the second exposed to ELF, the third exposed to a simulated field. All subjects underwent a cycle of 15 daily sessions of 30 min 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. All the patients of TAMMEF group and ELF group 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 those exposed to a simulated field group, there was no improvement of the pain symptoms or articular functionality. This study suggests that the TAMMEF system is efficacious and safe in the control of pain symptoms and in the reduction of functional limitation in patients with shoulder periarthritis. Moreover, the effects of the TAMMEF system cover those produced by the ELF field.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the utility of extremely low frequencies (ELF) electromagnetic fields in the treatment of pain. Moreover, the effects of these fields seems to depend on their respective codes. In our study we want to value the effects and the safety of the TAMMEF (Therapeutic Application of a Musically Modulated Electromagnetic Field) system, which field is piloted by a musical signal and its parameters are modified in time, randomly varying within the respective ranges, so that all possible codes can occur during a single application. Ninety subjects, affected by chronic low back pain, 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. 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. This study suggests that the TAMMEF system is efficacious and safe in the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain.