{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T16:12:53Z","timestamp":1775146373341,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775088000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause of global disability. The efficacy of a non-invasive treatment, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy, remains debated. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate PEMF\u2019s effectiveness on KOA, exploring the influence of device parameters. Materials and Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 2015 to 2025. Nine RCTs with a total of 457 patients were included. Primary outcomes were pain (Visual Analog Scale\u2014VAS) and function (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index\u2014WOMAC). Data were pooled using a random-effects model with subgroup analyses based on PEMF amplitude and frequency. Results: No significant improvement in VAS pain or total WOMAC scores was found at one month. However, time-dependent effects were observed. WOMAC-pain improved significantly at 18\u201321 days (MD = \u22121.63, 95% CI: \u22122.43 to \u22120.82, I2 = 28%) but not at one month. Conversely, WOMAC-stiffness (MD = \u22121.11, 95% CI: \u22121.386 to \u22120.85, I2 = 0%) and daily activity (MD = \u22123.39, 95% CI: \u22124.81 to \u22121.97, I2 = 0%) improved significantly only at the one-month. Objective functional measures did not improve, and the overall risk of bias across studies was high. The efficacy of PEMF is also influenced by the amplitude and frequency. Conclusions: PEMF efficacy for KOA is nuanced, with benefits dependent on timing and device parameters. High frequency gives fast pain relief; high amplitude builds function. Though statistically significant, these improvements may not reach thresholds for clinical meaningfulness. Significant heterogeneity in treatment protocols is a major barrier to clear conclusions. Standardized, large-scale RCTs are needed to determine optimal parameters and confirm PEMF\u2019s clinical role.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina62040677","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T15:14:43Z","timestamp":1775142883000},"page":"677","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy in People with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"62","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9196-5988","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yu-Shan","family":"Chang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50006, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chieh-Yu","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50006, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wan-Chi","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50006, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, H.Z., Liang, X.Z., Sun, Y.Q., Jia, H.F., Li, J.C., and Li, G. 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