Electrical Stimulation Ih Orthopaedics: Past, Present Amd Future

Abstract

The observations that stressed bone yielded an electrical signal and that weak electrical currents could induce callus formation gave birth to a sustained and widening interest in the clinical use of electrical currents and magnetic fields. the question of the physiological significance of the stress-generated signals remains unanswered, but it seems likely that the current-caused callus formation la an Irritative response similar to that demonstrated by bone subjected to heat, chemical, or mechanical stimuli. A similar mechanism may underly the magnetic-field effects on bone. the future of electrical stimulation in orthopaedics seems tenuous, and only further progress will insure its role in clinical use.