Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Physical Therapy, Kasr Al-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg. 2021 May;39(5):362-368. doi: 10.1089/photob.2020.4975. Epub 2021 Mar 8.
This study explored the different effects of pulsed high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) versus pulsed electromagnetic field (EMF) in the treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain (ChNsLBP). Between August and December 2019, 51 ChNsLBP participants with a mean age of 35.2 ± 8.6 years were enrolled in this prospective comparative study. At random, they were divided into three groups, 17 in each; HILT, EMF, and controls. HILT group was recruited for Nd:YAG laser using the following parameters: a wavelength of 1064 nm, fluency of 610-810 mJ, frequency of 10-40 Hz, average power of 10.5 W, and 120 μs short pulse duration in scanning mode. All groups received the treatment twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks. They were assessed for the modified Oswestry disability index (MODI), pain disability index (PDI), visual analog scale (VAS), and lumbar flexion range of motion (flex ROM) before and after 8 weeks of study program. The results showed greater improvement in the HILT group (VAS, PDI, MODI, and lumbar flex ROM, = 0.001) than the EMF group (VAS, = 0.002, PDI, = 0.045, MODI, = 0.002, and lumbar flex ROM, = 0.042), with significant difference between the two groups in favor of the HILT group ( ˂ 0.05). Depending on the results of the study, both HILT and EMF are useful physiotherapy modalities in the treatment of ChNsLBP with HILT exhibiting better outcomes than EMF. Clinical recommendations should be highlighted to instigate the use of HILT in the management of musculoskeletal disorders, distinctively ChNsLBP.
本研究旨在探讨脉冲高强度激光治疗（HILT）与脉冲电磁场（EMF）治疗慢性非特异性下腰痛（ChNsLBP）的不同效果。2019 年 8 月至 12 月，我们纳入了 51 名平均年龄为 35.2±8.6 岁的 ChNsLBP 参与者，进行了这项前瞻性对比研究。这些参与者被随机分为三组，每组 17 名：HILT 组、EMF 组和对照组。HILT 组采用 Nd:YAG 激光治疗，参数如下：波长 1064nm，能量密度 610-810mJ，频率 10-40Hz，平均功率 10.5W，短脉冲持续时间 120μs，以扫描模式进行治疗。所有组均每周接受 2 次治疗，共持续 8 周。在研究计划开始前和 8 周后，使用改良 Oswestry 残疾指数（MODI）、疼痛残疾指数（PDI）、视觉模拟量表（VAS）和腰椎前屈活动度（flex ROM）评估所有组的情况。结果显示，与 EMF 组相比，HILT 组的各项评估结果（VAS、PDI、MODI 和腰椎 flex ROM）均有显著改善（=0.001），差异有统计学意义（VAS，=0.002，PDI，=0.045，MODI，=0.002，腰椎 flex ROM，=0.042），HILT 组的效果优于 EMF 组（P<0.05）。根据研究结果，HILT 和 EMF 都是治疗 ChNsLBP 的有效物理治疗方法，HILT 的效果优于 EMF。应突出临床建议，倡导在管理肌肉骨骼疾病（尤其是 ChNsLBP）中使用 HILT。
