Clinical Efficiency of High-Intensity Laser Therapy in Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy: A 12-Week Follow-up, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to research the clinical effectiveness of high-intensity laser therapy combined with exercise on pain, quality of life, and disability in patients with cervical radiculopathy and compared it with that of placebo and exercise alone.

DESIGN

Ninety participants with cervical radiculopathy were randomized into the following three groups: high-intensity laser therapy + exercise ( n = 30), placebo + exercise ( n = 30), and exercise only ( n = 30). Pain, cervical range of motion, disability, and quality of life (36-item Short Form Health Survey) were assessed at baseline and weeks 4 and 12.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients (66.7% female) was 48.9 ± 9.3 yrs. Pain intensity in the arm and neck, neuropathic and radicular pain levels, disability, and several parameters of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey showed an improvement in the short and medium term in all three groups. These improvements were greater in the high-intensity laser therapy + exercise group than in the other two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

High-intensity laser therapy + exercise was much more effective in improving medium-term radicular pain, quality of life, and functionality in patients with cervical radiculopathy. Thus, high-intensity laser therapy should be considered for the management of cervical radiculopathy.

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CME

OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this article, readers will be able to: (1) Define cervical radicular pain and its clinical presentation, and explain the main pathomechanism in cervical radiculopathy (CR); (2) Describe the effects of laser administration on neuropathic pain; and (3) Discuss the clinical significance of coadministration of high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) with exercise (HILT + EX) in CR.

LEVEL: Advanced.

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