Therapeutic efficacy and safety of home-based portable laser irradiation on patients with wrist pain: a single-blinded randomized controlled trial

This study was a prospective, randomized, sham-controlled, and home-based self-therapy trial. A total of thirty subjects with wrist p ain were enrolled. All participants received low-level laser therapy on painful area at the wrist. The experimental group (n = 15) received laser stimulation, while the control group (n = 15) received sham stimulation using identical equipment that generated only a red light without the laser output. Both groups self-treated for 30 min a day, 5 days per week for 3 weeks, total of 15 sessions. The primary outcome was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) for wrist pai n from 0 (painless) to 10 (extreme pain). The secondary outcomes were measured with patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE), grip strength, lateral, palmar, and tip pinch strength. Measures were taken before and after treatment. A total of thirty participants provided outcome data. After the intervent ion, both groups showed a significant decrease in VAS score, from 4.93 to 3.67 in experimental group, from 5.53 to 4.00 in control group (the experiment group:p = 0.020, the control group:p = 0.003). The experimental group showed a significant improvement in function scale score (p = 0.012), the control group did not. Lateral and pinch strength was significantly improved in the experimental group (p = 0.017) and in the control group (p = 0.034) respectively. There were no side effects in the patients. Medical laser irradiation is a portable and easy...
Source: Lasers in Medical Science - Category: Laser Surgery Source Type: research