The effects of high intensity laser therapy on pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Gook-Joo Kim, Jioun Choi, Sangyong Lee and 2 others
PMID 27942148WHAT IT FOUND
Adding high-intensity laser therapy to standard physical therapy reduced knee pain and improved function more than physical therapy alone in 20 patients with osteoarthritis over four weeks.
However, the study was small and short-term, so the durability of this benefit is unknown.
Key findings
01The group receiving both conservative physical therapy and high-intensity laser therapy showed statistically significant greater improvements in pain (VAS) and function (K-WOMAC) compared to the group receiving only conservative physical therapy.
02Both groups experienced statistically significant declines in pain and improvements in function from baseline to four weeks.
03The intervention consisted of three sessions per week for four weeks, with the laser group receiving 5 minutes of high-intensity laser therapy after standard physical therapy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 20 participants, which is a very small sample size for drawing general conclusions. The follow-up period was only four weeks, so it is unknown if the benefits of adding laser therapy last beyond this short timeframe. The researchers did not control for the participants' daily activities outside of the clinic, which could have influenced pain and function outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this treatment is proven for long-term management. The study was very small (20 people) and only lasted four weeks, so the observed benefits might not persist or generalize to a wider population.