Stimulation of bone union by externally applied radio-frequency energy.

Pulsed radio-frequency electrical energy has been used for many years in the treatment of various soft tissue lesions, and this paper describes its use in stimulating repair in delayed and non-union, with a success rate in 16 cases equal to that of the other electrical stimulation techniques. The equipment is described and a theory proposed that the cell membrane has a diode effect in allowing the absorption of electrical charge, which, by its influence on the calcium ion, stimulates the cell into activity.