Magnetic field therapy plus exercise for muscle strength in advanced knee osteoarthritis
Tests magnetic field therapy with exercise in people with end-stage knee osteoarthritis.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Where
- Hong Kong, Hong KongSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Muscle Strength and Function in Patients With End-stage of Knee Osteoarthritis
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 43 people, planned
- Started
- 1 Jan 2024
- Expected to end
- 1 Dec 2028
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- PEMF
- exercise
- Record updated
- 18 July 2024
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for people over 50 with end-stage knee osteoarthritis who are waiting for a total knee replacement (TKR) at Prince of Wales Hospital.
- Age
- Over 50 years, up to 100 years
- Sex
- Men and women
- Disease stage
- End-stage knee osteoarthritis, already scheduled for TKR at Prince of Wales Hospital
- Earlier treatment
- People cannot join if they had any hip or knee joint replacement before, including TKR of the other knee.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Connective tissue disorders, muscle inflammation (myositis) or inflammatory arthritis
- Any nerve-muscle or neurodegenerative condition
- Sudden loss of mobility, for example after a hip fracture or a recent hospital stay
- Any past substance abuse
- Not able to travel to the treatment sessions on their own
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 11 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Male and female patients end-stage knee OA over 50 waiting for TKR
- Patient has been scheduled for TKR at Prince of Wales Hospital
- Able to comply with the assessments and has given oral and written consent
Who cannot take part
- Previous cases of any substances abuse
- Patients with connective tissue disorders or myositis condition
- History of any Hip \& Knee joint replacement
- Patients have any neuromuscular or neurodegenerative conditions
- Patients have the history of inflammatory arthritis
- Patients with acute immobility (i.e., post hip fracture or post-acute hospital admission)
- Patients already had TKR for one knee before
- Patients are unable to transport themselves for intervention
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 50 and 100 years old?
Where in Hong Kong
- Hong KongHospital not named in the registryContact: Michael Tim-Yun ONGTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
End-stage OA knee is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints, with over 34,000 patients waiting for joint replacement in Hong Kong and is expected to increase as the population continues to age constantly. The nominal waiting time for joint replacement in Hong Kong is long compared with many developed countries, averaging at 122 months, resulting in many elderly patients living with severe pain, limiting their daily activities. We are, therefore, in dire need to improve the well-being of this large and increasing group of patients as the capacity for operations remains limited.
Read full original descriptionShow less
It is important to maintain preoperative knee-extensor strength in the end-stage of knee OA awaiting TKR because the improvement of knee-extensor strength may postpone the need for surgery and increase the ability to perform functional activities after TKR at the same time.
PEMF exposure, on top of regular exercise training, may promote the secretion of myokine and in turn, promote muscle regeneration. These findings laid grounds for implementing PEMF treatment for end-stage knee OA patients to enhance muscle regeneration in periods with limited physical activity.
The novelty of this study is that this is the first RCT to examine if pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), in addition to a standard rehabilitation, produces better muscle strength and functional performance before and after TKR in people with knee OA than either intervention alone. The impact of this study is particularly strong given end-stage patients waiting for knee replacement surgeries in Hong Kong.
The 3 groups in the trial
- active control groupExisting treatment, for comparison
will receive the standard prehabilitation a physio-based exercise program designed to increase quadriceps muscle strength for 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks. Sessions will be performed at the same time (i.e., in the morning). The main programme comprised 5 sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise, with 60 rest between sets.
Treatment: exercise
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF)Treatment being tested
will receive the active PEMF treatment provided by a PEMF device (Quantum Tx, Singapore). Alternating leg will be exposed to PEMF for 10 minutes per session for 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks.
Treatment: PEMF
- standard prehabilitation plus PEMF interventionTreatment being tested
This group will have both the standard prehabilitation and PEMF intervention for 2 sessions a week for eight weeks.
Treatment: PEMF and exercise
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- The Effectiveness of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Muscle Strength and Function in Patients With End-stage of Knee Osteoarthritis Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial
- Plain-language title
- Magnetic field therapy plus exercise for muscle strength in advanced knee osteoarthritisGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT06196567, who can take part
- Record updated
- 18 July 2024