Title:"Take and Run" and "Take and Hold" Therapeutical Electromagnetic Field Application Modalities in Physiotherapy: Some Clinically Significant Pathways of Action
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Author(s): Lyubina Vesselinova
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Therapeutic EMFs, therapy modality, occupational modality, mechanisms of interaction,
eNO, ROS.
Abstract: This paper proposes and for the first time examines in parallel the most
likely mechanisms of clinical effects unlocked by two modality applications: the
therapeutic (acute) “take and run” and the occupational (chronic) “take and hold” of
therapeutic EMFs. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for therapeutic use have a long
pre-clinical and clinical history. The practical experience worldwide has increased
the trust of the medical community due to the EMF potential for speeding up the recovery
and reparative processes and for influencing the pathological ones – edema,
pain, inflammation. We consider these favourable effects of the triggered stimulation
of the production of endothelial NO - a consequence of the biochemical activation of
the calcium-calmodulin system as well as the vasodilatative vasomotor changes by
low-intensity EMFs of any range as the main clinically significant, universal therapeutic mechanism of
action in the stimulation of the reparative processes.
These beneficial health effects on patients look different when assessed as an occupational factor from
the perspective of the health of the physiotherapy professionals. Our recent, complex, ambispective
study, which as far as we know is the first in this field, has provided evidence about their specific morbidity
profile in its somatic and behavioral complexity, where seems to be endocrinal and cell damaging/
irritating processes are involved. The results indicate that the hypothesized endocrinal mechanisms
concern the changes in the estrogen and melatonin levels (assessed indirectly). The immuno-endocrine
EMF-induced autoreplication and disruption of adipose tissue cells are suspected to amplify the adverse
effects of the occupational low-intensity mixed EMFs and were found to be in a causal relation. Our
hypothesis of the main mechanism of the occupational (chronical) EMF adverse effects is based on the
presumption of selective EMF targeting of the hydrated/hyper hydrated tissues (which is an indispensable
physiological parameter of every vital tissue) with probable related maintenance of permanent high
levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This requires thorough examination due to the great biological/
clinical significance of such a dependence given some common recommendations existing in Bulgarian
physiotherapy facilities for an increased water intake during working hours.
