Mechanisms of analgesic action of pulsed radiofrequency on adjuvant-induced pain in the rat: roles of descending adrenergic and serotonergic systems.
Hagiwara S, Iwasaka H, Takeshima N, Noguchi T. · 2009
View Original AbstractPulsed radiofrequency treatment reduces pain by activating natural brain pathways, proving RF energy causes biological effects beyond heating.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied how pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) treatment relieves pain in rats with induced inflammation. They found that PRF at both 37°C and 42°C significantly reduced pain by activating the body's natural pain-blocking pathways in the brain and spinal cord. This research helps explain why PRF therapy works for chronic pain conditions in humans.
Why This Matters
This study provides important insights into how radiofrequency energy can actually benefit the human body when applied therapeutically. The research demonstrates that pulsed radiofrequency activates natural pain relief mechanisms through specific neurotransmitter pathways - the same systems targeted by many pain medications. What makes this particularly relevant to the broader EMF discussion is that it shows biological effects from RF exposure at relatively low temperatures, suggesting that non-thermal mechanisms are at work. While this was a controlled therapeutic application rather than environmental exposure, it underscores that radiofrequency fields can produce measurable biological changes through pathways beyond simple tissue heating. The science demonstrates that our nervous systems respond to RF energy in complex ways that we're still working to understand.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
In this study we observed an analgesic effect of PRF treatment in an adjuvant induced inflammatory pain model in rats.
In this model, sciatic nerves were treated with PRF at 37 degrees and 42 degrees , which inhibited h...
All three drugs were found to significantly inhibit the analgesic effect of PRF.
The results suggest that the analgesic action of PRF involves the enhancement of noradrenergic and serotonergic descending pain inhibitory pathways.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2009_mechanisms_of_analgesic_action_2138,
author = {Hagiwara S and Iwasaka H and Takeshima N and Noguchi T.},
title = {Mechanisms of analgesic action of pulsed radiofrequency on adjuvant-induced pain in the rat: roles of descending adrenergic and serotonergic systems.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18539061/},
}