Efficacy of wIRA in the treatment of sacroiliitis in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis and its effect on serum VEGF levels

Abstract

Background This study aimed to assess the efficacy of water-filtered infrared A (wIRA) in sacroiliitis in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and the effect of wIRA therapy on serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Methods One hundred twenty male AS patients with active sacroiliitis were randomly divided into wIRA group and control group. wIRA treatment was performed twice daily for 5 consecutive days with 24-h interval before switching the treatment (crossover design). Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) scores, pain visual analogue scale (VAS), and morning stiffness VAS were recorded prior to and after each treatment period. Additionally, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum VEGF, and resistance index (RI) of sacroiliac joints detected by ultrasonography were recorded at baseline and after the first and second treatment period, respectively. The efficacy was examined by using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results BASDAI, pain VAS, and morning stiffness VAS scores decreased significantly (P < 0.001) after wIRA treatment and no-wIRA treatment (control group), and the difference between the two groups was significant (P < 0.001). CRP declined and RI increased during the wIRA treatment as compared with the no-wIRA treatment (P < 0.001). The increase in RI was associated with improvement of pain VAS scores (P = 0.018), while serum VEGF was unaffected by the treatment. Conclusions wIRA treatment achieved symptom and pain relief for AS patients with active sacroiliitis. wIRA treatment also improved RI revealed by ultrasonography, and this effect was associated with improved pain VAS scores.

Infrared Radiation in the Management of Musculoskeletal Conditions and Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review

“…A number of primary studies describe its effects on humans. In particular, three studies focused on osteoarthritis, four studies on fibromyalgia, and six encompassed a wider range of diseases (ankylosing spondylitis, recovery from sports injuries, myofascial pain syndrome) [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. A detailed account of the results of these studies is presented in Table 1.…”

“…Infrared therapy can be delivered with light-emitting devices (photobiomodulation), wires, ceramic materials, and IR saunas. In a number of studies, infrared therapy has also been associated with clinical and perceptual improvement in chronic-pain-related psychosomatic symptoms such as fatigue and insomnia [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. By means of a systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the use of infrared radiation in the management of musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain.…”

“…By means of a systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the use of infrared radiation in the management of musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain. IR consists of a promising complementary treatment for a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, including knee osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain, chronic myofascial syndrome, sacroiliitis, and Gulf War Illness [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Infrared therapy can be delivered with light-emitting devices (photobiomodulation), wires, ceramic materials, and IR saunas.…”

“…Several studies have evaluated the effect of IR on a diverse set of musculoskeletal conditions [12,[20][21][22][23] or occupational statuses [19]. The investigated variants of IR treatment included photobiomodulation (wIRA, MIPE, transcranial NIR, photobiomodulation), IR patches [21], and IR saunas [20] and appeared to decrease pain, fatigue, and/or insomnia in patients with sacroiliitis in the context of ankylosing spondylitis [12], myofascial pain syndrome [21], chronic fatigue syndrome [20] and Gulf War Illness [23] and chronic low back pain [22]. With regard to the latter, MIPE appeared to be approximately 25% more effective than laser phototherapy.…”

Wassergefiltertes Infrarot A (wIRA) bei Gonarthrose – eine prospektive randomisierte kontrollierte Studie

“…Besonders bei der Behandlung von rheumatischen Erkrankungen konnte durch Lange et al 2014 und 2017 eine signifikante und klinisch relevante, anhaltende Schmerzreduktion bei Arthritis psoriatica und Morbus Bechterew gezeigt werden [17,18]. Diese Schmerzreduktion konnte auch bei der von Xu et al 2019 durchgeführten Behandlung der M. Bechterew-assoziierten Sakroiliitis reproduziert werden [19]. In einer prospektiven randomisierten kontrollierten Patientenbeobachtung von Merle aus dem Jahre 1995 wurde das Kniegelenk von Patienten mit Gonarthrose über den Zeitraum von 5-6 Wochen 10 mal für jeweils 30 Min.…”