EXTREMELY LOW-FREQUENCY-PULSED ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE IN THE HEALING PROCESS OF SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS WITH DELAYED-UNION FEMUR FRACTURE: A STUDY OF THE FAILURE LOAD OF AXIAL FORCE

Objective: Under normal conditions, fractures can heal, but under some conditions, complications can occur, such as delayed union or nonunion. Interaction between the processes of angiogenesis and osteogenesis (the interaction of osteoblast and osteoclast) is the determining factor in the healing process. Exposure to an electromagnetic field, as a physical stimulus, affects osteogenesis both in the developmental stage of the embryo and in the fracture healing process. This study was conducted to determine the healing of delayed-union fractures through exposure to an extremely low-frequency-pulsed electromagnetic field (ELF-PEMF), comparing the failure load scores in experimental animals. Methods: The study was conducted in the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, with 56 experimental rats during August and September 2018. Results: There was a significant difference in the failure load score in both groups in the fourth and fifth weeks of the study. There were no differences in clinical improvement in the two groups. Conclusion: This study concluded that there was an improvement in delayed-union fracture healing after the administration of ELF-PEMF, as seen in the difference in failure load scores