Efficacy of multi-wave locked system laser therapy on nerve regeneration after crushing in Wister rats.
Mohamed Salaheldien Mohamed Alayat, Mohammad Abubakar Basalamah, Wagih Gamal Eldin Abd-Elghany Elbarrany and 2 others
PMID 34219963WHAT IT FOUND
In rats with crushed sciatic nerves, MLS laser therapy improved nerve function, electrical conduction, and physical healing compared to untreated injured nerves.
This is preclinical animal data only. It does not yet show that the laser helps human patients recover from nerve injuries.
Key findings
01Rats receiving MLS laser therapy showed significantly better sciatic functional index scores at 21 and 28 days post-injury compared to untreated injured rats and healthy controls.
02The laser-treated group demonstrated significantly higher compound motor action potential amplitudes and faster motor nerve conduction velocities at 15, 21, and 28 days compared to untreated injured rats.
03Morphological analysis revealed that nerve fiber diameter and myelin sheath thickness increased significantly in the laser-treated group compared to untreated injured rats by day 28.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted entirely on rats. Human physiology and nerve regeneration responses may differ significantly from those of rodents. The study was preclinical, meaning it has not been tested in humans. The authors explicitly state it cannot be used on human nerves yet. Only one dose of laser therapy (10 J/cm2) was tested. It is unknown if this dose is optimal or if other doses would yield different results. The study did not compare MLS laser therapy against other forms of low-level laser therapy or standard care in humans.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Plan for Science, Technology, and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that MLS laser therapy works for human nerve injuries. This was a preclinical study on rats with surgically crushed nerves. The authors state that there is no evidence yet for efficacy in humans, and the modality cannot currently be used for human nerve treatment based on this data alone.