Abstract
Objective
To systematically review the literature on the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy
for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Data Sources
The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database
were searched for relevant systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
up to April 8, 2016.
Study Selection
Two reviewers independently applied the inclusion criteria to select potential studies.
Data Extraction
Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the methodologic quality.
Data Synthesis
A best-evidence synthesis was performed to summarize the results of the 2 systematic
reviews and 17 RCTs that were included. Strong evidence was found for the effectiveness
of low-level laser therapy compared with placebo treatment in the very short term
(0 to ≤5wk). After 5 weeks, the positive effects of low-level laser therapy on pain,
function, or recovery diminished over time (moderate and conflicting evidence were
found at 7- and 12-wk follow-up, respectively).
Conclusions
In the very short term, low-level laser therapy is more effective as a single intervention
than placebo low-level laser therapy in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, after
which the positive effects of low-level laser therapy tend to subside. Evidence in
the midterm and long term is sparse.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome), FSS (function severity scale), LLT (low-level laser therapy), PMF (pulsed magnetic field), RCT (randomized controlled trial), SSS (symptom severity scale), WALT (World Association for Laser Therapy)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: June 16, 2017
Footnotes
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
