Laser Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritic Pain
By Dr. Ryan Novak
For over a decade, numerous research studies and clinical case reports have proven the effectiveness of laser therapy for chronic knee pain, but the best dosage guidelines and applications are still being debated and researched.
According to the World Health Organization, over 500 million people worldwide are living with osteoarthritis, and the knee is the most affected joint. The CDC estimates that over 50 million adults in the United States are living with chronic pain. As chiropractic physicians, we have many solutions for chronic pain that other healthcare professionals will not or cannot offer their patients. One of those amazingly effective treatments pioneered by chiropractors is laser therapy.
A 2011 study published in Lasers in Medical Science titled “Adjunctive Use of Combination of Super-Pulsed Laser and Light-Emitting Diodes Phototherapy on Nonspecific Knee Pain: Double-Blinded Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial” had 86 participants. The low-level laser light therapy (LLLT) group was treated 12 times with a portable LLLT 905nm GaAs super-pulsed laser with 875nm and 640nm LEDs. The results concluded LLLT was effective in decreasing nonspecific knee pain.
In a 2022 article published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology titled “Is LLLT Effective for Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis? Implications and Strategies to Promote Laser Therapy Use,” the authors concluded amidst the years of conflicting studies that there was sufficient evidence to support the use of LLLT as a therapeutic option with exercise for knee osteoarthritic pain.
In another article published in 2022 in Pain Research and Management titled “Short-Term Efficacy of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) in Alleviating Pain in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial,” the trial had 42 participants. The intervention HILT group received 10 sessions with two to three treatments per week. The authors concluded that HILT could help alleviate knee osteoarthritic pain.
Can a lower average power portable LLLT device alleviate knee osteoarthritic pain? Yes. Can a higher average power HILT device alleviate knee osteoarthritic pain? Yes.
Depending on which type of laser therapy device you use, the application points or locations may be slightly different, along with the total joules and joules/cm2. When implemented correctly, all types of laser therapy are clinically effective in alleviating knee osteoarthritic pain. It should be offered as a noninvasive, safe, drug-free treatment, especially to those who are at a high risk of surgery or are looking to forgo any surgical intervention.
The best and most qualified healthcare professional to offer laser therapy is and always will be the chiropractic physician. If you are not currently offering laser therapy in your office, knee pain is the easiest anatomical location to treat with laser therapy, with a very high success rate. So, jump in the game and start offering your patients a natural solution to their knee osteoarthritic pain.
About the Author
Dr. Novak is the chief scientific officer (CSO) for a sonophotobiomodulation therapy medical device facility and consulting firm that develops and distributes FDA-approved and registered devices, such as the PainBuster Super Pulsed Laser. Learn more by calling 877-799-7477 or visiting PainBusterPro.com.
