High-intensity laser therapy may reduce patellofemoral pain, improve function

For patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome, high-intensity laser therapy was associated with reduced pain and improved lower extremity function compared with ultrasound and nerve stimulation, according to published results.

To assess the efficacy of high-intensity laser therapy for patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), Ozge Ozlu and Esra Atilgan, from the Institute of Health Sciences at Istanbul Medipol University in Turkey, performed a single-blinded randomized controlled trial of 45 patients with PFPS.

Researchers randomly assigned patients to receive high-intensity laser therapy combined with exercise (n = 15), ultrasound transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with exercise (n = 15) or ultrasound interferential current stimulation with exercise (n = 15) for 2 weeks.

Outcomes included VAS pain scores, knee flexion range of motion, quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength, Kujala scores, the lower extremity functional scale and the timed-up-and-go test.

Researchers found patients who received high-intensity laser therapy had greater reductions in pain, increases in knee flexion angle, improvements in Kujala scores and overall lower extremity function at 3 months compared with patients who received TENS and interferential current stimulation.

Researchers concluded high-intensity laser therapy may be effective for the treatment of PFPS, especially in combination with exercise such as vastus medialis strengthening, to reduce pain and improve function.

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