Studies

Abstract: Tissue that is damaged and poorly oxygenated as a result of swelling, trauma or inflammation has been shown to have a positive response to laser therapy irradiation. Deep penetrating photons activate a biochemical cascade of events leading to rapid cellular regeneration, normalization and healing. Laser light energy is highly absorbed by skin and subcutaneous tissue, therefore, penetration is key to therapeutic results. Traditional low level laser therapy (Classes I-III) provides less than optimal clinical outcomes in most disease conditions because it cannot produce the deep tissue laser penetration necessary without using excessively long treatment times. Longer wavelengths and high power output result in deeper penetration and higher dosage to the tissue. Larger laser therapeutic dosage levels produce improved clinical outcomes as illustrated in case and interventional studies. Certain Class IV lasers have been shown to provide both the wavelengths and output power levels necessary to trigger therapeutic cellular metabolic changes, especially when applied with scientifically based protocols.

Studies

Review and presentation of retrospective data on 10 patients with traumatic brain injury who were treated with Class IV laser. Nine patients were treated with a LiteCure LCT-1000 laser at 10 W, 810/980 nm. Patients received either 10 or 20 treatments with limited thermal heating. This is an off label indication and LiteCure did not support this research.

Studies

Meta-analysis of 22 trials of LLLT on joint pain. When the authors only considered trials with dose range predicted by Bjordal et al. in 2003 and WALT, the results were more positive. They concluded that laser therapy on joints reduces pain more reliably if treatment dose is in the therapeutic dose window. The review concludes that laser therapy on the joint reduces pain in patients.

Studies

Report on the use of laser therapy for sports injuries. For 10 years, the hospital had used laser therapy for treatment of sports injuries and report that 10 W is more effective than 150 mW and 1 W laser therapy. Download

Studies

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of low-level laser therapy into standard conventional physical therapy in elderly with bilateral symptomatic tricompartmental knee arthritis can successfully postpone the need for joint replacement surgery. LLLT used was 810-nm wavelength emitting from GaAlAs laser with power density of 20 mW/cm2 and 3.6 J/cm2. Three sessions of treatment per week for 12 consecutive weeks. After 6 year follow up, only one knee replacement was required for patients with the addition of LLLT, whereas for those that received the standard conservative treatment, nine required knee replacement. Download

Studies

Review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials where patients received active treatment with physical agents to treat osteoartritis of the knee (OAK). The physical agents included: manual acupuncture, static magnets, ultrasound, pulsed electromagnetic fields, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) electro-acupuncture (EA), and low level laser therapy (LLLT). This study concludes that TENS, EA, and LLLT administered with optimal doses in an intensive 2-4 week treatment regimen seem to offer clinically relevant short-term pain relief for osteoarthritis of the knee.

Studies

Randomized placebo-controlled study to investigate the efficacy of LLLT in TMD. Patients in the treatment group received 15 treatments of 3 J/cm2 at 904nm.  Both groups improved in all measures over the study period. The laser group had significantly better improvement in the number of tender points and all range of motion measures.

Studies

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of forty participants with knee osteoarthritis, aged between 50 and 75 years.  There were two treatment groups: the laser group (laser therapy dose of 3 J per point for a total dose of 27J per knee and exercises) or placebo group (placebo laser and exercises).  Treatment laser was a 904 nm superpulsed laser. Outcome measures included pain (visual analogue scale (VAS)), functionality, range of motion, muscular strength, and activity. At the end of 11 weeks, participants in the laser group had significant improvement, relative to baseline, compared to the the placebo group. The findings suggest that low level laser therapy when associated with exercises is effective in yielding pain relief, function and activity on patients with osteoarthritis of the knees.

Studies

Study designed to examine pain-relieving effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and possible microcirculatory changes measured by thermography in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Treatments were delivered twice a week over a period of 4 wk with a diode laser (830 nm, cw, 50 mW) in skin contact at dose of 6 J/point.  Results show that LLLT reduces pain in KOA and improves microcirculation in the irradiated area.

Studies

Absorption changes in HeLa cells were evaluated from 530-890 nm. Cytochrome c oxidase becomes more oxidized (implying increased cellular oxidative metabolism) at all wavelengths used. This study supports the hypothesis that the mechanism of photobiomodulation is related to the chromophore cytochrome c. Download