With the acceleration of the aging in the world and our society, osteoarthritis has become a health concern for patients and health workers. At present, its treatment mainly relies on drug treatment, surgical treatment and rehabilitation. As a safe, non-invasive and simple treatment, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy has been used in clinical treatment of osteoporosis, promoting fracture healing and improving symptoms of osteoarthritis. However, the mechanism of PEMF in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is still unclear. This paper reviews the effects of PEMF on apoptosis, cytokines, cartilage and subchondral bone in knee osteoarthritis in animal experiments, and the changes of chondrocyte morphology and extracellular matrix in cell experiments, aiming to enable medical workers to better understand the status and development of PEMF in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in basic experimental researches.
