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Photomedicine and Laser Surgery
Photobiomodulation of Pain in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Review of Seven Laser Therapy Studies

To cite this article:
Margaret A. Naeser. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery. April 2006, 24(2): 101-110. doi:10.1089/pho.2006.24.101.

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Dr. Margaret A. Naeser, Ph.D., Lic.Ac.
Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, and VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts.

In this review, seven studies using photoradiation to treat carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) are discussed: two controlled studies that observed real laser to have a better effect than sham laser, to treat CTS; three openprotocol studies that observed real laser to have a beneficial effect to treat CTS; and two studies that did not observe real laser to have a better effect than a control condition, to treat CTS. In the five studies that observed beneficial effect from real laser, higher laser dosages (9 Joules, 12–30 Joules, 32 J/cm2, 225 J/cm2) were used at the primary treatment sites (median nerve at the wrist, or cervical neck area), than dosages in the two studies where real laser was not observed to have a better effect than a control condition (1.8 Joules or 6 J/cm2). The average success rate across the first five studies was 84% (SD, 8.9; total hands = 171). The average pain duration prior to successful photoradiation was 2 years. Photoradiation is a promising new, conservative treatment for mild/moderate CTS cases (motor latency < 7 msec; needle EMG, normal). It is cost-effective compared to current treatments.

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