A. Takenori, M. Ikuhiro, U. Shogo, K. Hiroe, S. Junji, T. Yasutaka, K. Hiroya, N. Miki

Published in: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2016.03.006

This clinical trial was conducted to determine whether laser therapy can give athletes with an orthopedic sports injury immediate pain relief. Thirty-two college athletes experiencing pain with motion after injury were randomized to receive one session of either laser therapy or placebo laser therapy. The study had no restriction on the location of the injury so laser therapy was used on multiple areas of the body in the study including foot, ankle, knee, back, elbow, and shoulder.

  • Laser therapy group: These patients were treated for 10 minutes for a total energy dose of 108 J focused over the most painful area.
  • Placebo group: These patients were treated for the same amount of time as the laser therapy group with the probe over the most painful area, but no power was emitted from the probe.
  • Pain during motion was assessed for each patient before and after laser therapy using the Modified Numerical Rating Scale.
  • Immediately after one treatment session, the laser therapy group pain scores were significantly better than those in the placebo group. The laser therapy group pain scores decreased by 36.94% while the placebo group pain scores only decreased by 8.2%.
  • Study analysis demonstrated that significant immediate pain relief occurred in 75% of the athletes.
  • The authors conclude that laser therapy is a useful modality for helping athletes get immediate pain relief.