BACKGROUND:Pulsed electromagnetic field is a non-invasive and non-radiative treatment method.Clinical use of pulsed electromagnetic fields in the treatment of orthopedic diseases has achieved certain results. OBJECTIVE:To review the current clinical application of the pulsed electromagnetic field in the treatment of orthopedic diseases,providing a scientific theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of orthopedic diseases. METHODS:The first author used a computer to search PubMed,CBM,Cochrane Library,CNKI,and WanFang Data for related studies on the pulsed electromagnetic field in the treatment of orthopedic diseases,using the keywords of"pulsed electromagnetic field,orthopedics,osteoarthritis,osteoporosis,bone healing,electromagnetic navigation"in English and Chinese.For the literature related to the same content,recent publications were selected.A total of 69 articles were selected from the search results for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Pulsed electromagnetic field has a definite curative effect on fracture healing.It can be used in the treatment of osteomyelitis by antibacterial,bactericidal,anti-inflammatory and promoting bone healing,and can inhibit osteoporosis and its progress.In addition,the treatment of early osteoarthritis,femoral head necrosis and postoperative rehabilitation of late joint replacement through various ways can become a treatment for orthopedic diseases.However,the therapeutic mechanism of the pulsed electromagnetic field for a variety of orthopedic diseases is still unclear,and most of the research is still in the primary stage.In the future,it is still necessary to obtain more reliable evidence from high-quality research and clinical trials to provide a more perfect basis for the clinical treatment of orthopedic diseases.