The effect of low-level laser therapy on musculoskeletal pain: A meta-analysis

Abstract

A meta-analysis was undertaken of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on musculoskeletal pain. A literature search revealed 23 LLLT trials and of these 17 were controlled trials. Ten were double blind and 7 were insufficiently blinded. Within the studies identified pain was assessed by visual analogue scale or by "some other indices of pain". Nine double-blind trials and 4 controlled trials presented results in a form which allowed pooling of data. In the double-blind trials, the mean difference in pain between LLLT and placebo was 0.3% (S.E.(d) 4.6%, confidence limits -10.3-10.9%). In the insufficiently blinded trials the mean difference in pain was 9.5% (S.E.(d) 4.5%, confidence limits -2.9-21.8%). We conclude that LLLT has no effect on pain in musculoskeletal syndromes.

Non-Thermal, Non-Ablative CO2 Laser Therapy (NACLT): A New Approach to Relieve Pain in Some Painful Oral Diseases

“…Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide level II evidence for the efficacy of laser therapy in chronic low back pain (Umegaki, Tanaka et al 1989;Soriano and Rios 1998;Basford, Sheffield et al 1999) . In other reviews of laser therapy for painful conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (Brosseau, Robinson et al 2005) and musculoskeletal pain (Gam, Thorsen et al 1993;De Bie, De. Vet et al 1998), the evidence is equivocal.…”

Analgesia adjuvante e alternativa

“…A hiperestimulação das agulhas (eletricidade, manipulação e moxibustão) modularia neuroquimicamente os impulsos dolorosos na medula espinal e no encéfalo, ou então, desobstruiria canais (meridianos) de energia "Qi" que percorrem o corpo, tornando-os condutores de energia entre o cosmos (Yang) e a terra (Ying), segundo a teoria clás-sica chinesa [54][55][56] . tolerância e seu efeito analgésico é antagonizado pela colecistoquinina [54][55][56][57][58][59][60] .…”

“…Acupuncture influences regional encephalic activity through the major points, such as Zusanli (ST 36; Figure 2) and Hegu (LI 4; Figure 3), that activate the hypothalamus (increasing endorphins) and nucleus accumbens (descending antinociceptive pathway) and deactivates the gyrus cingulatum, amigdala and hippocampus (limbic system), which also influences the dose of analgesics and anesthetics used. Similar to opioids, the continuous use of analgesics leads to the development of tolerance and its analgesic effect is antagonized by cholecystokinin [54][55][56][57][58][59][60] .…”

Influence of Laser Therapy and Muscle Relaxant on the Masseter Muscle under Occlusal Wear: An Ultrastructural Study

“…In addition, LLLT keeps the intensity of the force during muscle contraction and may delay its fatigue, and this may increase intracellular ATP levels sufficient to maintain muscle physical effort (Lopes-Martins et al, 2006). However, Gam et al (1993) have not shown efficiency of LLLT on musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, considering that the biological mechanisms resulting from action of LLLT on temporomandibular joint (TMJ), clinical trials remains unclear (Çetiner et al, 2006;Fikáková et al, 2007;Gorgey et al, 2008;Tullberg et al, 2003;Venancio et al, 2005).…”