• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.251-255
• /
• 2019

Background: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) including laser acupuncture (LA) has been widely used to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP), but there is no critically appraised evidence of the potential benefits. The purpose of this protocol for a systematic review was to enable the evaluation of the effectiveness of LLLT including LA for non-specific CLBP to identify the potential benefits. Methods: The electronic databases MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Korean medical databases (KoreaMed, KMBASE, KISS, NDSL, KISTI, OASIS), the Chinese database (CNKI), and Japanese databases (CiNII, J-STAGE) are recommended. Results: Randomized controlled trials in LLLT including LA should be included in the searches. All data synthesis and subgroup analyses should be conducted using a Review Manager software. The Cochrane risk of bias tool can be used to evaluate methodological quality of the studies. A risk ratio or mean difference with a 95% confidence interval will show the effects of LLLT including LA. Conclusion: The primary outcome would be pain intensity and functional status/disability due to low back pain. The secondary outcome would be a global measurement of recovery or improvement, quality of life and adverse event.

• International Journal of Contents
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.59-63
• /
• 2011

The aim of our study was to evaluate the immediate effects of an 830-nm Aluminium gallium arsenide (GaAlAs) laser, by examining the changes, in pressure-pain threshold (PPT) and tenderness at 3 kg of the myofascial trigger point (MTrP) of the upper trapezius muscle in visual display terminal (VDT) workers in comparison with placebo treatment. Thirty VDT workers (13 males, 17 females) with complaints of upper trapezius muscle were recruited. All participants were given either active GaAlAs laser (830 nm wavelength, 450 mW, 9 J at point) or placebo GaAlAs laser, according to the double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial. Both active and placebo low-level laser therapy (LLLT) treatments showed no significant effect on PPT and tenderness at 3 kg. These results suggest that a higher dosage may be necessary to produce immediate effects when applying LLLT to the MTrP of relatively large muscles such as the upper trapezius muscle.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.373-379
• /
• 2011

Current therapeutic methods for suppressing muscle spasticity are intensive functional training, surgery, or pharmacological interventions. However, these methods have not been fully supported by confirmed efficacy due to the aggravation of the muscle spasticity in some patients. In this study, a combined system was developed to treat with a low-level laser and to monitor the region of the treatment using an optical spectroscopic probe that measures oxygen saturation and deoxygenation during low-level laser therapy (LLLT). The evaluation of the wavelength dependence for LLLT was performed using a Monte Carlo simulation and the results showed that the greatest amount of heat generation was seen in the deep tissue at ${\lambda}$ = 830 nm. In the oxy- and deoxygenation measurements during and after the treatment, oxygen-Hb concentration was significantly increased in the laser-irradiated group when compared to the control group. These findings suggest that LLLT using ${\lambda}$ = 830 nm may be of benefit in accelerating recovery of muscle spasticity. The combined system that we have developed can monitor the physiological condition of muscle spasticity during the laser treatment in real time and may also be applied to various myotonia conditions such as muscle fatigue, back-pain treatment/monitoring, and ulcer due to paralysis.

• Medical Lasers
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.134-141
• /
• 2020

The use of stem cell therapy to treat various diseases has become a promising approach. The ability of stem cells to self-renew and differentiate can contribute significantly to the success of regenerative medical treatments. In line with these expectations, there is a great need for an efficient research methodology to differentiate stem cells into their specific targets. Photobiomodulation (PBM), formerly known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), is a relatively non-invasive technique that has a therapeutic effect on damaged tissue or cells. Recent advances in adapting PBM to stem cell therapy showed that stem cells and progenitor cells respond favorably to light. PBM stimulates different types of stem cells to enhance their migration, proliferation, and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. This review summarizes the effects of PBM on targeted differentiation across multiple stem cell lineages. The analytical expertise gained can help better understand the current state and the latest findings in PBM and stem cell therapy.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.49 no.11
• /
• pp.679-687
• /
• 2011

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is the application of light to pathology to promote tissue regeneration, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain. LLLT has a photochemical effect whereby the light is absorbed and exerts a chemical change. The clinical applications of LLLT include improvement in wound and bone healing processes, control of pain and tooth hypersensitivity, modulation of periodontal inflammation, the prevention and treatment of cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis, management of burning mouth syndrome, and improvement in temporomandibular disorder symptoms. Further research is needed to better elucidate the cellular mechanisms of LLLT and provide a solid scientific basis for the clinical application of LLLT in dentistry.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.14-20
• /
• 2024

Purpose: This study was performed to identify and investigate the therapeutic effects of low-level laser (LLL) combined with a light-emitting diode (LED) on post-operative wound healing and functional recovery after hand orthopedic surgery. Methods: The study subjects were twenty patients who had passed the acute inflammatory phase after hand orthopedic surgery and were assigned equally to an experimental or a control group. Phototherapy was administered three times weekly for two weeks. Changes in wound length, edema, pain, and hand function were measured. Results: Significant differences in wound length, edema, pain, and hand function were observed between the experimental and control groups (p<0.05). However, no significant intergroup difference was observed (p>0.05). Nonetheless, a comparison of results showed changes in the experiment group over the two-week study period were significantly greater than in the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings show that combined LLL plus LED phototherapy positively influences post-operative hand rehabilitation.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.321-328
• /
• 2011

Various methods have been investigated to increase photon density in soft tissue, an important factor in low-level laser therapy. Previously we developed a compression-controlled low-level laser probe (CCLLP) utilizing mechanical negative compression, and experimentally verified its efficacy. In this study, we used Bezier curves to numerically simulate the skin deformation and photon density variation generated by the CCLLP. In addition, we numerically modeled changes in optical coefficients due to skin deformation using a linearization technique with appropriate parameterization. The simulated results were consistent with both human in vivo and porcine ex vivo experimental results, confirming the efficacy of the CCLLP.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.546-555
• /
• 2014

Objectives: Recently, many studies have reported beneficial effects from the application of laser and light-emitting diode (LED) therapy for cerebral nervous disease. Transcranial laser therapy and LED therapy may be an effective method to treat diseases of the cerebral nervous system. This study aims to discuss the possibility of laser and LED therapy for cerebral nervous disease by reviewing literature about its effectiveness. Methods: We searched papers using PubMed, Science Direct, CINAHL, KTKP, Oasis and NDSL, using the keywords "Laser therapy, low-level", "Transcranial laser", "Transcranial light emitting diode" and "stroke", "traumatic brain injury", "dementia", "anxiety", "cognitive", "emotional effects", "psychiatric disorder", "multiple sclerosis", "Parkinson's disease". The search range included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical case series. Reviews and animal experiments were not included. Studies not matched with inclusion criteria were excluded. Results: A total 1,119 studies were found. 1,100 were excluded from scanning titles and abstracts and finally 9 articles were selected. Among the 9 articles, 5 were RCTs, one was a controlled study, and the other 3 were case reports. They reported that transcranial laser therapy and LED treatment had beneficial effects from photobiomodulation to the cerebral nervous system. Clinical evaluation factors showed favorable trends. Conclusions: Transcranial laser therapy and LED therapy seem to be effective to the cerebral nervous system and they may be a favorable choice for cerebral nervous disease.

• Medical Lasers
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.132-137
• /
• 2021

The effects of low-level laser irradiation on cells and tissues, known as photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), are the basis of photomedicine. Several investigations have evaluated the therapeutic effects of PBMT for neuronal regeneration and differentiation in animal models and humans. Recently, intranasal PBMT (iN-PBMT) has shown potential as a treatment method for neurologic disorders. In this review, we have summarized the various modes of iN-PBMT delivery and their application in the treatment of brain disorders.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
• /
• v.51 no.5
• /
• pp.313-320
• /
• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of chewing gum and low-level laser therapy in alleviating orthodontic pain induced by the initial archwire. Methods: Patients with 3-6 mm maxillary crowding who planned to receive non-extraction orthodontic treatment were recruited for the study. Sixty-three participants (33 females and 30 males) were randomly allocated into three groups: laser, chewing gum, and control. In the laser group, a gallium aluminum arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser with a wavelength of 820 nm was used to apply a single dose immediately after orthodontic treatment began. In the chewing gum group, sugar-free gum was chewed three times for 20 minutes-immediately after starting treatment, and at the twenty-fourth and forty-eighth hours of treatment. Pain perception was measured using a visual analog scale at the second, sixth, and twenty-fourth hours, and on the second, third, and seventh days. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups at any measured time point (p > 0.05). The highest pain scores were detected at the twenty-fourth hour of treatment in all groups. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the study, we could not detect whether low-level laser therapy and chewing gum had any clinically significant effect on orthodontic pain. Different results may be obtained with a higher number of participants or using lasers with different wavelengths and specifications. Although the study had a sufficient number of participants according to statistical analysis, higher number of participants could have provided more definitive outcomes.