Quality of Life After Laser Therapy in Patients with Inoperable Cancer of the Esophagus and Gastric Cardia

Objectives. Chronic nonspecific low back pain (chronic nsLBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders leading to disabilities and physical inactivity. Laser therapy was used in chronic nsLBP treatment; however, no previous studies have assessed the impacts of high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) versus low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on chronic nsLBP. This study compared the effects of HILT versus LLLT on individuals suffering from chronic nsLBP. Methods. The study was a randomized control trial. Sixty individuals with chronic nsLBP were enrolled in this study between May and November 2019. All participants were clinically diagnosed with chronic nsLBP. They were assigned randomly into three groups, 20 in each group. The first group received a program of LLLT, the second group received a program of HILT, and the third did not receive laser therapy (control group). Pain severity, disability, lumbar mobility, and quality of life were assessed before and after 12-week intervention. Results. Both LLLT and HILT groups showed a significant improvement of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), visual analogue scale (VAS), lumbar range of motion (ROM), and European Quality of Life (EuroQol) scores ( p > 0.05 ), while the control group did not show significant changes ( p > 0.05 ). Comparison among the three study groups postintervention showed significant differences in the outcome measures ( p > 0.05 ), while comparison between the LLLT and HILT groups showed nonsignificant differences ( p > 0.05 ). Conclusion. There are no different influences of LLLT versus HILT on chronic nsLBP patients. Both LLLT and HILT reduce pain and disability and improve lumbar mobility and quality of life in chronic nsLBP patients.

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Preliminary clinical experience of low-level laser therapy for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis-associated pain: A retrospective investigation on 17 dogs

Open Veterinary Journal ◽

10.4314/ovj.v10i1.16 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Loris Barale ◽

Paolo Monticelli ◽

Massimo Raviola ◽

Chiara Adami

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

Laser Therapy ◽

Low Level Laser Therapy ◽

Total Period ◽

Low Level ◽

Low Level Laser ◽

Level Laser ◽

Canine Osteoarthritis

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is common in dogs and causes chronic pain that affects the quality of life and may not respond to analgesics.Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether low-level laser therapy (LLLT) would improve the quality of life and help reducing systemic analgesics, in dogs with OA.Methods: Seventeen client-owned dogs diagnosed with OA and associated pain were included. The diagnosis of OA was confirmed by orthopedic and radiographic examination. Pain was evaluated in each dog with the canine brief pain inventory (CBPI), compiled by the dog owners, as well as with a visual analog scale (VAS) and the colorado state canine chronic pain scale, used by the clinician. The LLLT was performed weekly in each study dog, for a total period of 6 weeks. The CBPI was then repeated at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after the first laser session, whereas the VAS was reassessed at weeks 2 and 6. The dogs were observed for the occurrence of laser-related side effects.Results: Both CBPI and VAS were significantly reduced after the first laser session (9.2 ± 3.8 and 5.2 ± 1.1, respectively) compared to pretreatment values (11.8 ± 3.6 and 7.6 ± 0.9, respectively; and p = 0.018 and p < 0.001, respectively) and continued to decrease over time until the end of the therapy. Based on these results and improved function, as assessed by the orthopedic surgeon, the pharmacological analgesic therapy was reduced by the clinician at week 2 in 13 of 17 dogs. Laser-related side effects were not observed.Conclusion: This retrospective report provides a basis for future investigations, needed to clarify whether laser therapy may be beneficial to treat canine OA-associated pain. The preliminary findings are promising and suggest that LLLT may help reducing the analgesic administration and improving client satisfaction and the quality of life of dogs with OA. Keywords: Canine osteoarthritis, Chronic pain, Low-intensity laser therapy, Orthopedic pain.

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