LOW LEVEL LASER THERAPY (LLLT) 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 randomized, double-blind study was to examine the effect of GaAs laser therapy for Tendonitis and myofascial pain in a sample from the general population of Akersbergain 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 (92patients, of whom 74 had Tendonitis, completed the study) or a placebo group (84 patients, of whom 68 had Tendonitis, 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 Tendonitis.

LLLT USING A DIODE LASER IN SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF A HERNIATED LUMBAR/SACRAL DISC, WITH MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) ASSESSMENT: A CASE REPORT

Tatsuhide Abe

Abe Orthopaedic Clinic Futuoka City Fukuoka Prefecture Japan X12'

A 40-year-old woman presented at the Abe Orthopedic Clinic with a2-year history of lower hack pain and pain in the left hip and leg diagnosed as a ruptured disc between the 5th lumbar/lst sacral vertebrae. The condition had failed to respond to conventional treatment methods including pelvic traction, nonsteroidanti-inflammatory drugs and aural block anesthetic injections. MRI scans were made of the affected disc, showing it protruding on the left side through the aural membrane. The gallium aluminum arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser (830 nm, 60 mW) was used in outpatient therapy. After 7 months, the patient's condition had dramatically improved, demonstrated by motility exercises. This improvement was confirmed by further MRI scans, which showed clearly the normal condition of the previously herniated L5/SI disc.

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