Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Shoulder Pain, Functional Disability and Range of Motion in Patients with Type II Slap Tear

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Low-level lasers may occasionally replace surgery or medications without adverse effects, so studying them stands to reason. It heals, regenerates tissue, reduces inflammation, discomfort, and boosts immunity. Research is continuing. It may help physical therapy, healthcare, and the community by being cost-efficient, simple, and successful. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of low-level laser therapy and routine physical therapy on shoulder pain, functional disability, and range of motion in patients with Type II SLAP tear. METHODS: It was a Randomized Controlled Trial conducted at Physical therapy department, Sialkot Medical and Physiotherapy Center Branches Pasroor and Sambrail. The estimated sample size is 52, and adjusting for an expected 20% dropouts, the sample size was 62, allocated 31 in each group. Both male and female patients with Age between 50-70 years having Type II SLAP tear, Visual analogue scale (VAS) score above 3 and the patients diagnosed by physician, orthopedic physician or surgeon or rheumatologist were included. The included patients were allocated in group A, routine physical therapy, and Group B low level laser. All the patients were assessed at baseline, at 4th week of Treatment and at 8th week of Treatment for pain, shoulder pain and disability index and shoulder ranges. RESULTS: The results regarding age showed mean and standard deviation to be 1.8387±.77875 in routine physical therapy group while 1.8065±.79244 in low level laser therapy group. The comparison of mean SPADI total score at 8th week of assessment it was found to be respectively 58.3226±4.57083 and 50.3871±4.85577 with a significant mean difference of 7.935 in favor of low-level laser therapy as shown by p value 0.000. Other outcome measures including pain and shoulder ranges were also significantly improved in low level laser therapy group, p value < 0.05. CONCUSSION: The findings of the study concluded that low level plays the therapy is significantly more effective improving pain disability and shoulder range of motions in patients with slap tear, except for abduction range of motion which was improved equally in both groups. Moreover, within routine physical therapy and low-level laser therapy group showed significant improvement at pre and post level of assessment except that of total shoulder and pain disability index score which was not improved significantly in routine physical therapy group without combination of low-level laser therapy.