Shoulder tendinopathy
LLLT for shoulder tendinopathy systematic review and meta-analysis
Haslerud S, Magnussen LH, Joensen J, et al. Physiotherapy Research International. 2015.
A shoulder tendinopathy review found clinically relevant pain relief when LLLT used adequate doses.
Evidence grade
moderate
Effect direction
positive
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The review included 17 randomized controlled trials.
- LLLT as monotherapy and as an adjunct to exercise produced clinically important pain relief versus placebo.
- Trials with inadequate laser doses were ineffective across outcomes.
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 | Shoulder tendon region |
| Device type | Low-level laser therapy |
Caveats
- Dose adequacy is central to the positive finding.
- A consumer panel may not target tendon insertions like clinical LLLT.