Pilot Trial of Potentiating Normal Healing of Stress Fractures Using PulsingElectromagnetic Fields

摘要

Stress fractures usually take a long time to heal and prevent soldiers, fromparticipating in most physical activities. About half of the trainees at Ft. Sill diagnosed with stress fractures never return to active duty. The pilot tests the feasibility of using pulsing electromagnetic fields, such as those used to potentiate the healing of non-unions, to speed healing of stress fractures. In the first trial, the field coil was embedded in the cast to produce a magnetic field around the fracture. The unit was supposed to be used for a minimum of six weeks but, due to change in treatment policies resulting from a turnover in staff with DESERT SHIELD, the units were only used for a few weeks. Eighteen trainees used the units in their casts, ten just had casts(the standard treatment) during the treatment period and thirty-one just had the standard treatment before the treatment period. There was no difference between number of days it took those numbers of the groups able to return to duty to do so. However, only two of the treated soldiers had MEBs while twenty of the controls did. The pilot will continue as an unfunded study at FT. Sill. The proposed work and new investigators were identified in the annual report to MDRC for this project dated 6 November, 1992.