Reduces acute pain immediately, chronic pain up to 22 weeks following treatment, concludes literature review.
After analyzing the 16 studies, the reviewers determined that in the two acute-pain studies, subjects receiving low-level laser therapy "had a significant RR [relative risk] of 1.69 ... for improvement immediately after treatment versus placebo." For the 14 studies investigating chronic neck pain, reviewers determined that relative risk for pain improvement with low-level laser therapy was 4.05 compared to placebo by the end of the treatment period. Moreover, seven studies providing follow-up data 1-22 weeks following the conclusion of treatment showed that "the pain-relieving effect in the short term (<1 month) persisted into the medium term (up to six months)" and that for chronic pain, there was an "average reduction in visual analogue scale [scores] of 19.86 mm, which is a clinically important change." Compared with placebo, adverse effects seen in the treatment groups were similar and mild for all studies reviewed.
"Whatever the mechanism of action, clinical benefits of LLLT occur both when LLLT is used as monotherapy and in the context of a regular exercise and stretching programme," the reviewers conclude. "In clinical settings, combination with an exercise programme is probably preferable. The results of LLLT in this review compare favourably with other widely used therapies, and especially with pharmacological interventions, for which evidence is sparse and side-effects are common."
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