ELECTROMAGNETIC-FIELD STIMULATION OF SOFT-TISSUES - PULSED RADIO-FREQUENCY TREATMENT OF POSTOPERATIVE PAIN AND EDEMA

This article is a follow-up to the review titled, ''Electric Current a nd Electromagnetic Field Effects on Soft Tissue: Implications for Skin and Wound Healing,'' which appeared in the May/June issue of the Jour nal (Wounds 1995;7(3):94-110). The pulsed radio frequency (PRF) signal is inductively (non-invasively) coupled to the treatment site. The PR F treatment provides a more uniform and predictable electromagnetic fi eld (EMF) signal in the tissue site than surface contact electrodes. E MF dosimetry must be defined in terms of the tissue level, magnetic an d electric fields, and current density. The PRF signal contains a wide range of frequency (spectral) components allowing it to couple to a v ariety of possible biochemical pathways. It is thus important to know the full range of tissue and cellular states normally present during t he healing process. Each pathological stage may require different PRF parameters for optimal dosage. In spite of a lack of detailed dosimetr y studies, the most successful clinical outcomes of non-invasive PRF i nclude increased rate of soft tissue repair, and nerve growth repair a s well as faster reabsorption of hematoma and reduction of pain and ed ema.