Low back pain
PBM does not decrease non-specific low back pain systematic review
Tomazoni SS, Almeida MO, Bjordal JM, et al. Journal of Physiotherapy. 2020.
A systematic review of randomized trials concluded that current evidence does not support PBM for decreasing pain and disability in non-specific low back pain.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
no-clear-effect
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The review included 12 randomized controlled trials with 1,046 participants.
- Compared with sham PBM, effects on pain and disability were clinically unimportant.
- The authors concluded current evidence does not support PBM for non-specific low back pain.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied by trial |
| Duration | Varied by trial |
| Treatment area | Low back |
| Device type | PBM including laser and LED devices |
Caveats
- This review is important counterweight against overconfident low-back-pain claims.
- Some comparator analyses were imprecise or low quality.