Photobiomodulation Therapy Plus Usual Care Is Better than Usual Care Alone for Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Ann K Ketz, Juanita Anders, Judy Orina and 6 others
PMID 38179590WHAT IT FOUND
Adding photobiomodulation light therapy to usual care reduced heel pain from an average of 4.47 to 2.84 over three weeks.
Usual care alone saw only a small drop from 4.03 to 3.76. Function also improved more with light therapy.
Key findings
01The pooled photobiomodulation groups experienced a reduction in pain over the first three weeks, with a patient-level average change from 4.47 to 2.84.
02The usual care group experienced a small reduction in pain over the same period, having a patient-level average change from 4.03 to 3.76.
03Patient-level average function per the FAAM sports subscale improved in the pooled photobiomodulation groups from baseline (mean 0.45) to six weeks (mean 0.66), while functional improvement was slight in the usual care group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was open-label because a sham light therapy control was not available, which may introduce bias. The usual care group was not followed beyond six weeks, so long-term comparisons are limited to the light therapy groups. The sample had a higher proportion of overweight and obese participants, though this was balanced between groups. Results for participants with higher Fitzpatrick skin types should be interpreted cautiously due to small numbers in those categories.
Declared interests
The study was conducted at a US military medical center. The disclaimer states the content does not represent the official position of the Department of Defense or other US government entities. No commercial funding or conflicts of interest are explicitly declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume photobiomodulation works without usual care. The study tested it as an addition to a daily usual care protocol, not as a standalone treatment.