The Effectiveness of Low Level Laser Therapy (Lllt) for Shoulder Periarthritis

Abstract

The efficacy of low level laser therapy (LLLT) in general pain relief and in various arthroses has been established in the literature 1) , however no study has been published which has concentrated on shoulder periarthritis. The current study was thus designed to investigate the effectiveness of LLLT for pain relief and improved range of motion (ROM) in shoulder periarthritis, and serum prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were also measured in this study. PGE2 plays an important role in the delineation of nociception in the peripheral nerve system as well as in the spinal cord 2)-8) . We examined the correlations among the parameters such as pain relief, improved joint function, and serum PGE2 level to evaluate the action of LLLT. Subjects and MethodsThis study included 40 women with a mean age of 62.7 years (range: 31 to 86 years) and mean symptom duration of 2.8 months (range: 12 days to 11 months). Patients with rotator cuff injury, impingement syndrome, and calcific tendinitis were excluded.A diode semiconductor laser (830 nm, output: 1 W) was used for treatment. A trigger point and the sur- The effectiveness of low level laser therapy (LLLT) for pain relief and improved range of motion (ROM) in shoulder periarthritis was investigated, and serum prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were measured to evaluate the underlying mechanism of LLLT action. This study included 40 women with a mean age of 62.7 years and mean symptom duration of 2.8 months. LLLT was effective in 32 patients (80%). In the "effective" treatment group, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, range of abduction, flexion, and internal rotation, and serum PGE2 levels improved significantly. A correlation was observed between improvement in each ROM and VAS scores, and both were useful as indices of symptom improvement and treatment efficacy. PGE2 also decreased significantly after laser therapy and played a role in pain symptoms, but there was no correlation with improvement in the ROM or VAS scores. Thus, serum PGE2 levels did not reflect the degree of shoulder function or pain. In the "ineffective" treatment group, no improvement, no correlation between ROM and VAS scores, and no change in serum PGE2 levels after laser therapy were observed. This seems to represent a special group. 39 ORIGINAL ARTICLES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LOW LEVEL LASER THERAPY (LLLT) FOR SHOULDER PERIARTHRITIS

Effect of Low-Level Laser with and without Shoulder Mobilization in Treating Shoulder Impingement

“…In addition, other studies showed that LLLT produced a statistically substantial improvement in VAS, shoulder function, and ROM (18,19) .…”