This study I recently found seems to put the old idea of using PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) to grow taller really into question.
The truth is that in the very beginning, we had found studies which showed that PEMF helps towards accelerated bone fracture healing times, meaning that it was potentially good toward bone tissue growth.
- Pulsed electromagnetic field treatments enhance the healing of fibular osteotomies.
- Additive effects of prostaglandin E2 and pulsed electromagnetic fields on fracture healing.
- The effects of pulsed electromagnetism on fresh fracture healing: osteochondral repair in the rat femoral groove.
The article titles are above without the right links.
These studies showed that after say a surgical cut through the bone or a fracture, the non-union of the two part can be increased in healing by applying PEMF in short durations.
For me at this point in the research, I am no longer looking for techniques or compounds that will lead to bone growth since that implies bone tissue increase from bone mineral density increasing. I am almost completely focused on finding growth factors and methods to induce cartilage mainly because cartilage has been the only type of tissue that would work if we wanted to try to stretch human limbs. Bone tissue is just too hard, strong, and brittle to pull and create plastic deformation.
Analysis: 
Right off the bat we see that the point of PEMF is towards repair of non-union bone fractures.
We remember that for new bones to form, something called a callus is first developed. This callus will have a type of cartilage known as fibrocartilage inside.
The fibrocartilage and the cartilage found in the condyle area of the synovial joints are similar. The PEMF was applied to the articular cartilage in the condyle region.
There was 3 groups, the control, the group with only PEMF-M, and the last is PEMF-E. The fields were applied for 8 hours a day on the lab animals. The results show that for the PEMF-M group, the cartilage in the condyle region was most reduced. The researchers do note the fact that with different variations of time for PEMF application, there was varying degrees of articular cartilage thickness. It seems that as the animals grew older, the amount of cartilage growth decreased.
The ending may sum it best – The PEMF_M had a negative effect on the chondrogenic layer of the articular zone, but no chondrogenic or osteogenic effects were noted
Interestingly, other studies seem to have contradictory conclusions…
Effects of Pulsing Electromagnetic Fields on Bone Growth and Articular Cartilage
Abstract
Observations made during treatment of juvenile pseudarthrosis by pulsing electromagnetic fields (PEMF) suggested that bone growth might be altered. PEMF applied to immature rabbits under conditions of continuous stimulation (24 hours/day for 8 weeks) produced no major changes in bone growth. Continuous stimulation by PEMF induced a statistically significant increase (22%) in femoral articular cartilage glycosaminoglycan. Intermittent PEMF stimulation (12 hours with stimulation/12 hours without stimulation) for 18 weeks produced no significant change in bone growth or time of epiphyseal plate closure. No significant changes in the physical characteristics of growing bone were observed with any treatment.
Analysis
This study seems to show that at least for the type of material inside, the glycoaminoglycan, that was increased if the PEMF was applied continuously 24 hours a day. The application showed no big changes in the growth of the bones or at what time the growth plates would have closed.
So for developing human children who still have their growth plates, PEMF doesn’t seem to increase the endochondral ossification process which would result in increased bone tissue formation rate. The glycoaminoglycan content level did go up but that did not cause the cartilage to thicken.
Implications For Height Increase
For a long time it was proposed that PEMF application would stimulate growth of bone. In the beginning it was looked at as a viable option to increase height. Now it seems that it can’t even make the growth of bone tissue increase in immature lab animals (and thus human as well) or the cartilage of the growth plates. I am willing to conclude at this point that maybe it is only possible to see the PEMF have any effect when there is a real fracture causing a non-union and we need accelerated healing. It still might be possible to use the PEMF technology after limb lengthening surgery to speed up the healing process.
