NICE did a rapid review of the published literature on the efficacy and safety of this procedure. This comprised a comprehensive literature search and detailed review of the evidence from 5 sources, which was discussed by the committee. The evidence included 1 randomised controlled trial, 1 review, 1 survey, 1 cohort study and 1 case series. It is presented in the summary of key evidence section in the interventional procedures overview.
The committee considered the key efficacy outcomes to be: improvement in pain and function over that of the natural history of the disease measured on well-recognised validated scales, and improvement in quality of life.
The committee considered the key safety outcome to be: potential effect of magnetic fields.
Patient commentary was sought but none was received.
The committee noted that the mechanism of action is unclear.
The committee noted that the strength of the magnetic field used in this procedure is very low, but if future research used increased field strengths, the safety of the procedure would need to be further assessed.
The committee noted that the symptoms of osteoarthritis relapse and remit.
ISBN: 978-1-4731-4237-4