Laser therapy: A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of low- intensity Nd:YAG laser irradiation on musculoskeletal back pain

Jeffrey R. Basford, Charles G. Sheffield, William S. Harmsen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

112 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of low-intensity laser therapy in the treatment of musculoskeletal low back pain. Design: A double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Setting: A physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic. Participants: Sixty-three ambulatory men and women between the ages of 18 and 70 yrs with symptomatic nonradiating low back pain of more than 30 days' duration and normal neurologic examination results. Intervention: Subjects were bloc randomized into two groups with a computer- generated schedule. All underwent irradiation for 90 seconds at eight symmetric points along the lumbosacral spine three times a week for 4 weeks by a masked therapist. The sole difference between the groups was that the probes of a 1.06 μm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser emitted 542 mW/cm2 for the treated subjects and were inactive for the control subjects. Main Outcome Measures: Subject's perception of benefit, level of function as assessed by the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire, and lumbar mobility. Results: The treated group had a time-dependent improvement in two of the three outcome measures: perception of benefit and level of function. These results were most marked at the midpoint evaluation (p < .005, p < .01) and end of treatment (p < .017, p < .001) but tended to lessen at the 1-month follow-up (p <. 10, p < .004). Lumbar mobility did not differ between the groups at any time. All tests were two-sample t tests with unequal variances. Conclusions: Treatment with low-intensity 1.06 μm laser irradiation produced a moderate reduction in pain and improvement in function in patients with musculoskeletal low back pain. Benefits, however, were limited and decreased with time. Further research is warranted.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)647-652
Number of pages6
JournalArchives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume80
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
  • Rehabilitation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Laser therapy: A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of low- intensity Nd:YAG laser irradiation on musculoskeletal back pain'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this