Business Wire02.25.16
Orthofix International N.V., a diversified, global medical device company, has announced results of a cellular study designed to determine how pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy affects gene expression of intervertebral discs (IVD) cells in normal and inflammatory environments. Published online in The Spine Journal, results indicate PEMF therapy may reduce cellular inflammation and degradation associated with disc degeneration in human IVD cells.
“The results of this study are clinically important as they demonstrate PEMF has disease modifying activities that may, in the future, provide a minimally-invasive solution for patients living with painful degenerative disc disease,” said Dr. Jeffrey C. Lotz, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Research, at the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and co-author of the journal article. “While an important first step, more studies are needed to determine if this is indeed a viable option for managing inflammation and impaired healing associated with painful intervertebral discs.”
In an in-vitro human cell culture and microarray gene expression study, cells were stimulated to elicit the inflammatory environment associated with degenerative disc disease (DDD). The cells were exposed to the Orthofix Physio-Stim PEMF for four hours daily. At day four, this study revealed that cells treated with PEMF showed a reduction in proinflammatory markers and a decrease in degeneration of the cellular matrix relative to the control group, although this reduction did not persist to day seven.
“We continue to support preclinical evaluation of PEMF technology to confirm and validate the potential for new clinical applications,” said Orthofix Chief Scientific Officer and co-author James Ryaby, Ph.D. “We remain committed to furthering the body of clinical evidence that drives best medical practice and improved patient outcomes. We believe this study suggests that PEMF may be an important future treatment option for patients suffering from degenerative disc disease.”
Intervertebral disc degeneration is one of the most common mechanical causes of chronic low back pain. It occurs when the usually rubbery discs lose integrity as a normal process of aging. In 2010, low back pain was ranked as the third most burdensome condition in terms of mortality or poor health in the U.S. by the National Institutes for Health.
The Orthofix Physio-Stim and Cervical-Stim PEMF technology is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These devices generate a uniform, low-level electrical field that helps activate and augment the body's natural healing process to enhance bone fusion.
The paper “Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) treatment reduces expression of genes associated with disc degeneration in human intervertebral disc cells” was authored by Stephanie L. Miller, Dezba G. Coughlin, Erik I. Waldorff, James T. Ryaby, Jeffrey C. Lotz, and published online in The Spine Journal (2016).
“The results of this study are clinically important as they demonstrate PEMF has disease modifying activities that may, in the future, provide a minimally-invasive solution for patients living with painful degenerative disc disease,” said Dr. Jeffrey C. Lotz, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Research, at the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and co-author of the journal article. “While an important first step, more studies are needed to determine if this is indeed a viable option for managing inflammation and impaired healing associated with painful intervertebral discs.”
In an in-vitro human cell culture and microarray gene expression study, cells were stimulated to elicit the inflammatory environment associated with degenerative disc disease (DDD). The cells were exposed to the Orthofix Physio-Stim PEMF for four hours daily. At day four, this study revealed that cells treated with PEMF showed a reduction in proinflammatory markers and a decrease in degeneration of the cellular matrix relative to the control group, although this reduction did not persist to day seven.
“We continue to support preclinical evaluation of PEMF technology to confirm and validate the potential for new clinical applications,” said Orthofix Chief Scientific Officer and co-author James Ryaby, Ph.D. “We remain committed to furthering the body of clinical evidence that drives best medical practice and improved patient outcomes. We believe this study suggests that PEMF may be an important future treatment option for patients suffering from degenerative disc disease.”
Intervertebral disc degeneration is one of the most common mechanical causes of chronic low back pain. It occurs when the usually rubbery discs lose integrity as a normal process of aging. In 2010, low back pain was ranked as the third most burdensome condition in terms of mortality or poor health in the U.S. by the National Institutes for Health.
The Orthofix Physio-Stim and Cervical-Stim PEMF technology is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These devices generate a uniform, low-level electrical field that helps activate and augment the body's natural healing process to enhance bone fusion.
The paper “Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) treatment reduces expression of genes associated with disc degeneration in human intervertebral disc cells” was authored by Stephanie L. Miller, Dezba G. Coughlin, Erik I. Waldorff, James T. Ryaby, Jeffrey C. Lotz, and published online in The Spine Journal (2016).