Effect of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Therapy in Patients with Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis represents the most common joint disease in adults, with its incidence and prevalence increasing with age. With the overall aging of the population, it is becoming a significant medical as well as social problem. Due to the growing number of cases, new modalities are being sought for current therapeutic procedures, including nuclear magnetic resonance therapy, whose effect has been verified by an extensive clinical study.
Introduction
The goal of osteoarthritis therapy is to relieve the main symptom of the disease, which is pain, while also maintaining the affected joint in the best possible functional condition and preventing disease progression. Conservative therapy includes education, adherence to regime measures, pharmacotherapy, and rehabilitation. However, pharmacotherapy often has only short-term effects and the prolonged use of many drugs is associated with the risk of side effects.
Therefore, new modalities and alternatives are constantly being sought for current therapeutic procedures. A promising method is nuclear magnetic resonance therapy, which operates on the principle of magnetic resonance. The action of biophysical stimulation influences cellular processes at the molecular level and contributes to the stimulation of cellular metabolism. Regarding its effect on the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, for example, it contributes to the inhibition of processes causing chondrocyte degeneration.
Methodology and Course of the Study
A total of 4518 patients participated in the study, with the largest proportion being patients with knee osteoarthritis (n = 2770), followed by hip osteoarthritis (n = 673), chronic lower back pain/spondylarthrosis (n = 655), and finally patients with ankle osteoarthritis (n = 420). All participants underwent one cycle of nuclear magnetic resonance therapy consisting of 9 therapeutic sessions, each lasting 1 hour over 9 consecutive days. Health data were collected before therapy, immediately after its completion, and subsequently at 6–8 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months post-therapy.
Results
After 6 weeks of therapy, there was a significant reduction in pain across all groups, and this improvement was also observable at 6 and 12 months after the therapy ended. Improvements in pain parameters during standing, movement, and resting averaged 21–50% compared to baseline values. For example, the number of patients with knee osteoarthritis reporting no pain while walking increased from 23.5% to 48.2%. Similar increases were observed in patients with hip and ankle osteoarthritis. Along with pain reduction, a decrease in disability during daily activities was observed.
Conclusion
Data from a 10-year clinical follow-up indicate that nuclear magnetic resonance therapy contributes to the long-term reduction of pain during standing, walking, and resting, and to the improvement of functional deficits during daily activities in patients with osteoarthritis in the lower back, hip, knee, and ankle.
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Source: Kullich W., Overbeck K., Spiegel H. U. One-year-survey with multicenter data of more than 4,500 patients with degenerative rheumatic diseases treated with therapeutic nuclear magnetic resonance. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil 2013; 26 (1): 93–104, doi: 10.3233/BMR-2012-00362.
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