Pulsed electromagnetic field with or without exercise therapy in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Hany M Elgohary, Sayed A Tantawy
PMID 28878453WHAT IT FOUND
Pulsed electromagnetic field improved urinary symptoms, urine flow, and urine left after voiding compared with placebo in 60 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Adding pelvic floor and aerobic exercise did not show added benefit over electromagnetic field alone.
Key findings
01The active electromagnetic field groups with or without exercise improved urine flow, urine left after voiding, prostate-specific antigen, white blood cell count, and symptom score, while placebo did not improve these except a small symptom score change.
02The group receiving exercise plus electromagnetic field did not differ significantly from the group receiving electromagnetic field alone after treatment.
03Compared with placebo, both active electromagnetic field groups had better post-treatment values across all measured outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study analysed 60 men, 20 per group, and the authors state the small sample size may affect the results. The trial lasted four weeks and did not report longer-term outcomes, so it cannot show whether benefit persists. The paper does not name a primary outcome, so it is unclear which result was the main question among the several measured outcomes. There was no exercise-only group, so the study cannot show whether pelvic floor and aerobic exercise help benign prostatic hyperplasia on their own. The methods say 60 patients were invited, but the results say 67 patients were included and 7 were excluded, leaving 60 analysed. The paper does not describe how randomisation was done or how blinding was maintained, which makes allocation and placebo control harder to judge. The placebo group showed a small change in symptom score, so some symptom improvement may reflect non-specific effects.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests. The supplied text does not state who funded the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that pelvic floor or aerobic exercise treats benign prostatic hyperplasia. The study had no exercise-only group, and adding exercise to pulsed electromagnetic field did not improve outcomes more than electromagnetic field alone.