Multi-wave locked system laser therapy in chronic non-specific neck pain: a double-blind placebo randomized-controlled trial.
Luciana Labanca, Daniela Platano, Roberto Tedeschi and 3 others
PMID 41159519WHAT IT FOUND
MLS laser therapy did not reduce pain or disability more than a fake laser in chronic neck pain.
It did increase head rotation and bending range of motion, but the pain relief was not clinically meaningful for patients.
Key findings
01There was no significant difference in pain scores between the laser and sham groups at the end of treatment, with only a borderline difference at the one-month follow-up.
02Disability scores improved in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the laser and sham treatments.
03Range of motion in head rotation and lateral bending increased significantly in the laser group but not in the sham group.
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 improvements in pain and disability, while statistically significant in some measures, did not reach the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) thresholds. The study excluded concurrent treatments like physical therapy exercises or manual therapy, limiting applicability to real-world multimodal care settings. There was no healthy control group, making it difficult to compare results against normative neck mobility data. The follow-up period was short (one month), and the number of sessions was limited, so long-term efficacy is unknown.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The research was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health 5X1000 fund.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the statistically significant improvements in pain and disability as clinically meaningful. The authors explicitly state these changes did not meet the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) thresholds, meaning patients likely did not notice a substantial benefit over the sham treatment.