Therapeutic Laser

Detailed Supporting Evidence

Despite its efficacy, therapeutic laser is under utilized because many are unaware of its potential - including many physicians. Its efficacy has been questioned due to a number of poorly controlled scientific studies and in some instances, the use of sub-optimal dosimetry and equipment.1 However a number of studies have now been published in very well respected peer reviewed clinical journals, supporting the efficacy of therapeutic laser. 

For example, the Lancet, one of the most respected medical journals, recently carried out in a meta-analysis of a number of therapeutic laser studies on neck pain. Based on this review they concluded that "therapeutic laser reduces pain immediately after treatment in acute neck pain and up to 22 weeks after completion of treatment in patients with chronic neck pain."2

Another remarkable study published in 2015 study provides further evidence of the efficacy of therapeutic laser. Fifty patients with prolapsed discs (slipped discs), were administered   three treatments per week for twelve weeks. These patients had failed conventional therapy and were therefore candidates for surgical intervention. Forty-nine of the fifty patients had significant improvements in symptoms and had avoided surgical intervention 5 years later! The authors of the study concluded that “therapeutic laser is a viable option in the conservative treatment of discogenic back pain, with a positive clinical result of more than 90% efficacy, not only in the short term but also in the long term, with lasting benefits.”3

The benefits of therapeutic laser extend far beyond pain relief. This was demonstrated in a fascinating Israeli study on the impact of therapeutic laser in rats after myocardial infarction (heart attack). The illustration below shows the huge difference in the size of the scarring (dead tissue) with and without therapeutic laser treatment. The scarred area was up to 80% LESS in the rats treated with therapeutic laser immediately after the myocardial infarction.4

Countless clinical case studies also illustrate the power of therapeutic laser to heal wounds and even regenerate nerve tissue. Based on his experience with treating facial paralysis with therapeutic laser Dr. Bernal reported that if treatment was administered within 2 weeks of onset, treatment was successful in 100% of cases with a maximum of 15 treatments required. If treatment was delayed beyond this, the response was more variable and required more laser sessions as well as other ancillary treatment measures.5

Another study that looked at therapeutic laser in acute stroke provides further evidence of the power of this modality and the need for early intervention. This study compared the response to ONE therapeutic laser treatment administered within 18 hours of the onset of the stroke versus placebo (inactive treatment). The group that received therapeutic laser showed significant improvement in recovery compared to the placebo group as early as 5 days later. The superior recovery in the therapeutic laser treated group was still evident 3 months later at the end of the study. These findings were later confirmed by a larger study involving over six hundred patients.6-9

Many animal studies and isolated human case studies have shown dramatic benefit of therapeutic laser in traumatic brain injury10 and further studies are being carried out in this area as well as dementia, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Therapeutic laser is completely safe provided that the eyes are protected and women are not treated over the womb in the first trimester of pregnancy. It is a painless, drug- free and highly effective option that is rapidly growing in popularity.


References

  1. Hoon Chung, Tianhong Dai and Michael R. Hamblin. The Nuts and Bolts of Low-level Laser (Light) Therapy. Ann Biomed Eng. 2012 Feb; 40(2): 516–533.

  2. Dr Roberta T, Prof Mark I Johnson, PhD, Prof Rodrigo AB Lopes-Martins, PhD, Prof Jan M Bjordal, PT. Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the management of neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo or active-treatment controlled trials. The Lancet. 2009; 374(9705): 1897–1908.  doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61522-1

  3. Can intractable discogenic back pain be managed by low-level laser therapy without recourse to operative intervention? J of Pain Research. 2015; 8:253-256.

  4. Lasers stimulate stem cells for heart repair. July issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (doi: 10.1002/lsm.21063).Courtesy of Uri Oron, Tel Aviv University.

  5. Bernal G. Helium Neon and Diode Laser Therapy is an effective adjunctive therapy in facial paralysis. Laser Therapy 1993; 5 (2): 79-87.

  6. Hashmi JT, Huang Y-Y, Osmani BZ, Sharma SK, Naeser MA, Hamblin MR. Role of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Neurorehabilitation. PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation. 2010;2(12 Suppl 2):S292-S305.

  7. Lampl Y, Zivin JA, Fisher M, et al. Infrared laser therapy for ischemic stroke: a new treatment strategy: results of the NeuroThera Effectiveness and Safety Trial-1 (NEST-1). Stroke. 2007;38:1843–1849. 

  8. Zivin JA, Albers GW, Bornstein N, et al. Effectiveness and safety of transcranial laser therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Stroke. 2009;40:1359–1364. 

  9. Stemer AB, Huisa BN, Zivin JA. The evolution of transcranial laser therapy for acute ischemic stroke, including a pooled analysis of NEST-1 and NEST-2. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2010;12:29–33.

  10. Margaret A. Naeser, Ph.D., L.Ac. Anita Saltmarche, R.N., MHSc. Maxine H. Krengel, Ph.D. Michael R. Hamblin, Ph.D. and Jeffrey A. Knight, Ph.D. Improved Cognitive Function After Transcranial, Light-Emitting Diode Treatments in Chronic, Traumatic Brain Injury: Two Case Reports. Photomed Laser Surg. 2011. May; 29(5): 351-358

Additional Supporting References

  1. Catherine, By: n.d. “Low Level Laser for the Stimulation of Acupoints for Smoking Cessation: A Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Randomised Trial and Semi Structured Interviews.” 
    http://www.konsande.at/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Laser-Study-Middlesex-University-ENG-150724.pdf.

  2. Chow, Roberta T., Mark I. Johnson, Rodrigo A. B. Lopes-Martins, and Jan M. Bjordal. n.d. “Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy in the Management of Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Placebo or Active-Treatment Controlled Trials.” https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61522-1.

  3. Cotler, Howard B., Roberta T. Chow, Michael R. Hamblin, and James Carroll. 2015. “The Use of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) For Musculoskeletal Pain.” MOJ Orthopedics & Rheumatology 2 (5). https://doi.org/10.15406/mojor.2015.02.00068.

  4. Hashmi, Javad T., Ying-Ying Huang, Bushra Z. Osmani, Sulbha K. Sharma, Margaret A. Naeser, and Michael R. Hamblin. 2010. “Role of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Neurorehabilitation.” PM & R: The Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation 2 (12 Suppl 2): S292–305.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3065857/

  5. Jesus, Julio Fernandes de, Diva Denelle Spadacci-Morena, Nayra Deise dos Anjos Rabelo, Carlos Eduardo Pinfildi, Thiago Yukio Fukuda, and Helio Plapler. 2014. “Low-Level Laser Therapy on Tissue Repair of Partially Injured Achilles Tendon in Rats.” Photomedicine and Laser Surgery 32 (6): 345–50.

  6. “The Treatment of Achilles Tendonitis Using Therapeutic Laser.” n.d. Practical Pain Management.  
    https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/complementary/lasers/treatment-achilles-tendonitis-using-therapeutic-laser

  7. Lam, Liz Kit Yin, and Gladys Laiying Cheing. 2007. “Effects of 904-Nm Low-Level Laser Therapy in the Management of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Photomedicine and Laser Surgery 25 (2): 65–71.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17508839

  8. Neves, Marcele Florêncio das, Mariana César Ribeiro Dos Reis, Eliana Aparecida Fonseca de Andrade, Fernanda Pupio Silva Lima, Renata Amadei Nicolau, Emília Ângela Loschiavo Arisawa, Adriano Oliveira Andrade, and Mário Oliveira Lima. 2016. “Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT 808 Nm) on Lower Limb Spastic Muscle Activity in Chronic Stroke Patients.” Lasers in Medical Science 31 (7): 1293–1300.

  9. Tomaz de Magalhães, Miriam, Silvia Cristina Núñez, Ilka Tiemy Kato, and Martha Simões Ribeiro. 2016. “Light Therapy Modulates Serotonin Levels and Blood Flow in Women with Headache. A Preliminary Study.” Experimental Biology and Medicine 241 (1): 40–45.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26202374

  10. Malliaropoulos, N., A. Akritidou, I. Tsifountoudis, and K. Tsitas. 2011. “Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) for Discogenic Back Pain.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 45 (2). BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine: e1–e1.
    http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/2/e1.52

  11. Morimoto, Yusuke, Akiyoshi Saito, and Yasuaki Tokuhashi. 2013. “Low Level Laser Therapy for Sports Injuries.” Laser Therapy 22 (1): 17–20.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3799051/

  12. Al Rashoud, A. S., R. J. Abboud, W. Wang, and C. Wigderowitz. 2014. “Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy Applied at Acupuncture Points in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomised Double-Blind Comparative Trial.” Physiotherapy 100 (3): 242–48.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2013.09.007

  13. Simunovic, Z., T. Trobonjaca, and Z. Trobonjaca. 1998. “Treatment of Medial and Lateral Epicondylitis--Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow--with Low Level Laser Therapy: A Multicenter Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study on 324 Patients.” Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine & Surgery 16 (3): 145–51.

  14. Stergioulas, Apostolos, Marianna Stergioula, Reidar Aarskog, Rodrigo A. B. Lopes-Martins, and Jan M. Bjordal. 2008. “Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy and Eccentric Exercises in the Treatment of Recreational Athletes with Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy.” The American Journal of Sports Medicine 36 (5): 881–87.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18272794

  15. Surendranath, P., and Radhika Arjunkumar. n.d. “Low Level Laser Therapy –A Review.” https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0661/0172a6fae086d26ac91d55253690e5815af5.pdf.

  16. Suresh, Snophia, Satyanarayana Merugu, Nimisha Mithradas, and Sivasankari. 2015. “Low-Level Laser Therapy: A Biostimulation Therapy in Periodontics.” SRM Journal of Research in Dental Sciences 6 (1). Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd.: 53.

  17. Huang, Zeyu, Jun Ma, Jing Chen, Bin Shen, Fuxing Pei, and Virginia Byers Kraus. 2015. “The Effectiveness of Low-Level Laser Therapy for Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Arthritis Research & Therapy 17 (December): 360.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4704537/