[The new magnetic therapy TAMMEF in the treatment of simple shoulder pain].
OBJECTIVE
Numerous studies have demonstrated the utility of extremely low frequencies (ELF) electromagnetic fields in the treatment of pain. Moreover, the effects of these fields seems to depend on their respective codes (frequency, intensity, waveform). In our study we want to assess the effects of the TAMMEF (Therapeutic Application of a Musically Modulated Electromagnetic Field) system, whose field is piloted by a musical signal and its parameters (frequency, intensity, waveform) are modified in time, randomly varying within the respective ranges, so that all possible codes can occur during a single application.


METHODS
Sixty subjects, affected by shoulder periarthritis were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into three groups of 20 patients each: A exposed to TAMMEF, B exposed to ELF, C exposed to a simulated field. All subjects underwent a cycle of 15 daily sessions of 30 minutes each and a clinical examination upon enrollment, after 7 days of therapy, at the end of the cycle and at a follow-up 30 days later.


RESULTS
All the patients of groups A and B completed the therapy without the appearance of side effects: they presented a significant improvement of the subjective pain and the functional limitation, which remained stable at the follow-up examination. In group C, there was no improvement of the pain symptoms or articular functionality.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that the TAMMEF system is efficacious in the control of pain symptoms and in the reduction of functional limitation in patients with shoulder periarthritis. Moreover, the effects of the TAMMEF system cover those produced by the ELF field.
Battisti
E
E
Centro TAMMEF, Sezione di Fisica Medica, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Siena, Italia.
Bianciardi
L
L
Albanese
A
A
Piazza
E
E
Rigato
M
M
Galassi
G
G
Giordano
N
N
D000328:Adult; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010489:Periarthritis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome