The effects of low-level laser therapy in patients with wrist pain: is this Mickey Mouse science?

Objective: Low level laser treatment (LLLT) is widely used in physical therapy practice. It is combined with physical therapy or LLLT alone. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of LLLT on patients` perception of general wrist pain. Design: Longitudinal study. Methods: Forty-eight subjects with wrist pain who were in the age range of 18-70 years old were examined. The subjects were asked, via an interview and a visual analog scale, to grade their wrist pain. They were asked to rotate their wrists through full range of motion and the angle at which any pain occurred was assessed. Each subject was then exposed to one of the following: 1) treatment with an infrared laser with the power turned off (placebo), 2) treatment with an infrared therapeutic laser, 3) treatment with a red therapeutic laser, 4) treatment with an ultraviolet laser, 5) treatment with a blue laser, 6) treatment with a Mickey Mouse flashlight. The duration of the treatment was 3 sessions in 3 days. Results: The results of the experiments showed that while pain was reduced both immediately after and the next day after laser therapy (p<0.05), there was no significant difference between the laser groups and the placebo group. However, the Mickey Mouse flashlight treatment groups had a greater range of motion than the laser groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: While pain was reduced in all laser groups, it was probably a placebo effect. The Mickey Mouse flashlight group probably received benefit from the heat of the flashlight.