LOW LEVEL LASER THERAPY OF TENDINITIS AND MYOFASCIAL PAINS A
RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED STUDY
Mimmi Logdberg-Anderssont1, Sture Mutzell2, and Ake Hazel3
1: Akersberga Health Care Centre, 2: Danderyd University Hospital,
Danderyd, and
3: Vaxholm Health Care Centre, Stockholm, Sweden.
The purpose of this randomised, double-blind study was to examine the
effect of GaAs laser therapy for tendinitis and myofascial pain in a sample
from the general population of Akersberga in the northern part of Greater
Stockholm. 176 patients (of an original group of 200) completed the scheduled
course of treatment. The patients were assigned randomly to either a laser
group (92 patients, of whom 74 had tendinitis, completed the study) or a
placebo group (84 patients, of whom 68 had tendinitis, completed the study).
All 176 patients received six treatments during a period of 3-4 weeks. Their
pain was estimated objectively using a pain threshold meter, and subjectively
with a visual analogue scale before, at the end of, and four weeks after the
end of treatment. Laser therapy had a significant, positive effect compared
with placebo measured from the first assessment to the third assessment, four
weeks after the end of treatment. Laser treatment was most effective on acute
tendinitis.
Addressee for Correpondance, Sture Mutzell, Danderyd University Hospital
5-182 87 Danderyd, Sweden.
03/07 Rep US 10-12-14 , 1997 By LT Publishers, U.K., Ltd., LASER THERAPY,
1997:9: 79-86
Wavelength |
Power |
Energy Density |
Power Density |
Energy per point |
Pulses |
904nm |
8mW av (10Wpeak) |
0.5-1.0 J/Cm2
|
(not given) |
1J |
4KHz x 180nS |
|