An eight-week pulsed electromagnetic field improves physical functional performance and ankle-brachial index in men with Fontaine stage II peripheral artery disease

Introduction: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a highly prevalent but insufficiently studied cardiovascular disease. Apart from exercise training, little evidence supports the use of complementary therapies such as pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) in PAD management despite its favorable cardiovascular effects. Therefore, this study aimed to assess effects of PEMF on treadmill walking performance and ankle-brachial index (ABI) in men with PAD. Material and methods: Thirty male patients aged from 45 to 65 years with Fontaine stage II PAD were assigned to two groups; an experimental and a control group. Exclusion criteria were: Fontaine stage I, III and IV PAD; contraindications to exposure to electromagnetic fields; coronary artery, heart or chest disease; and orthopedic/neurological limitations to treadmill exercise test. Both groups received pharmacological treatment and dietary instructions, but only the experimental group received an eight-week PEMF (frequency: 15 Hz; intensity: 20 Gauss; duration: 60 minutes) three sessions per week. A treadmill graded exercise test (GXT) was performed at baseline and post-intervention. The primary outcomes were walking parameters derived from the GXT (i.e., peak walk distance/walk time and pain-free walk distance/walk time), and the secondary outcome was the ABI. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvements in the GXT outcomes compared to baseline and controls (p < 0.01), and a significant increase in the ABI compared to baseline (p < 0.01) that approached significance compared to the controls (p = 0.012). Conclusions: PEMF therapy could be suggested as a beneficially rehabilitative intervention, complementary to pharmacological treatment and dietary advice, that could help improve physical functional performance and ABI in men with Fontaine stage II PAD.