Original articles: Combination therapy comprising low level laser therapy (LLLT) and brace therapy for chronic lower back pain patients

Abstract

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in combination with a sacroiliac brace was used on 33 patients with chronic lower back pain to examine the effectiveness of this combination therapy A semiconductor laser (1000 mW, CW, 830 nm) was used. Due to the short duration effect of LLLT previously reported, we tested the effect of combination therapy using LLLT and a sacroiliac brace. Our results showed that the number of patients who had lower back pain in their activities of daily living (ADL) or work decreased, and this combination therapy improved both their ADL and quality of life (QOL). Chronic lower back pain patients who had just started visiting our hospital obtained satisfactory results with LLLT but the latency period was short. In order to maintain the effects of LLLT, we controlled the patients’ posture with a sacroiliac brace, which was able to prevent chronic pain for a longer period. The combination treatment was well-tolerated, side-effect free and offered good efficacy in improving both pain and range of motion of the lumbar spine. © 2009, International Phototherapy Association. All rights reserved.