Low Level Laser Therapy to Reduce Chronic Pain

Study of the Effect of Low Level Laser Light Therapy on the Reduction of Chronic Pain of the Neck and Shoulders

The purpose of this study was to determine whether low level laser light directed at the neck and shoulders could be effective in the temporary reduction of chronic pain in the neck and shoulder region.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Chronic Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Erchonia PL2000 Laser; Device: Placebo laser

Detailed Description

Chronic neck and shoulder pain arising from osteoarthritis, chronic muscle spasms or thoracic or cervical spine sprain strain can be seriously debilitating. Currently available treatment options such as pain relief medication, ice pack, massage, physical therapy and chiropractic are typically of limited effectiveness. More permanent options such as surgery are invasive with long recovery periods and side-effects and complications of their own. Low level laser light therapy, with its proven anti-inflammatory ability, offers a simple non-invasive option for the reduction of chronic neck and shoulder pain.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Muscular-skeletal pain in the neck/shoulder region
• Acute and chronic pain in the neck/shoulder region
• Restricted range of motion in the neck/shoulder region
• Fibrosis or scar tissue in the neck/shoulder region
• Inflammation in the neck/shoulder region
• Altered function in the neck/shoulder region
• Muscle strains in the neck/shoulder region
• Rating of 30 or greater on the 0-100 Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scale
• 18-65 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severely herniated disks
• Pregnancy
• Taken pain medication within the past 12 hours

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Erchonia PL2000 Laser; Low level laser light energy comprised of 1 milliWatts (mW) of red light (635 nm).	Device: Erchonia PL2000 Laser; Low level laser light therapy device that emits 1 mW of red (635 nm wavelength) light. It is a hand-held device that uses rechargeable batteries or a separate power adapter.; Other Names: Erchonia PL5000; Erchonia EVRL Laser
Placebo Comparator: Placebo laser; inactive light	Device: Placebo laser; Inactive laser light.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants Whose Self-reported Degree of Pain on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) in the Neck and Shoulder Area Decreased by 30% or More From Before to After Study Treatment.	Self-reported degree of pain in the neck and shoulder region on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The VAS is a 100 mm long horizontal line ranging from '0: no pain at all' on one end to '100: worst pain imaginable' on the other end. Participants mark a point along the line that best represents the pain they are experiencing at that moment.	baseline and one hour
Change in Self-reported Degree of Pain in the Neck-shoulder Region on the 0-100 Visual Analog Scale (VAS)	Self-reported degree of pain in the neck and shoulder region on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The VAS is a 100 mm long horizontal line ranging from '0: no pain at all' on one end to '100: worst pain imaginable' on the other end. Participants mark a point along the line that best represents the pain they are experiencing at that moment. The change is calculated as the difference from the VAS score recorded at baseline to the VAS score recorded one hour after study treatment administration. A positive change (+) means that the pain got worse and a negative change (-) means that the pain got better.	baseline and one hour

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Range of Motion (ROM) for the Left Side of the Neck From Baseline to One Hour After Study Treatment.	Range of motion (ROM) for the left side of the neck is a measure of how well the neck can move to the left side. The participant gently tilts their neck to the left side as far as possible, and this distance is measured in degrees. The change for ROM for the left side of the neck is measured as the difference in degrees of ROM recorded from baseline to one hour after study treatment. If the change is positive (+), this means that ROM has gotten better and the neck can move further to the left side than before getting the treatment. If the change is negative (-), this means that ROM has gotten worse and the neck can move less to the left side than before getting the treatment	baseline and one hour
Change in Range of Motion (ROM) for the Left Shoulder From Baseline to One Hour After Study Treatment.	Range of motion (ROM) for the left shoulder is a measure of how well the participant can move the left shoulder. The participant gently raises the left shoulder (and left arm) as far as possible, and this distance is measured in degrees. The change for ROM for the left shoulder is measured as the difference in degrees of ROM recorded from baseline to one hour after study treatment. If the change is positive (+), this means that ROM has gotten better and can move the left shoulder better and further than before getting the treatment. If the change is negative (-), this means that ROM has gotten worse and the left shoulder can move less easily and not as far than before getting the treatment	one hour
Change in Range of Motion (ROM) for the Right Side of the Neck From Baseline to One Hour After Study Treatment.	Range of motion (ROM) for the right side of the neck is a measure of how well the neck can move to the right side. The participant gently tilts their neck to the right side as far as possible, and this distance is measured in degrees. The change for ROM for the right side of the neck is measured as the difference in degrees of ROM recorded from baseline to one hour after study treatment. If the change is positive (+), this means that ROM has gotten better and the neck can move further to the right side than before getting the treatment. If the change is negative (-), this means that ROM has gotten worse and the neck can move less to the right side than before getting the treatment.	baseline and one hour
Change in Range of Motion (ROM) for the Right Shoulder From Baseline to One Hour After Study Treatment.	Range of motion (ROM) for the right shoulder is a measure of how well the participant can move the right shoulder. The participant gently raises the right shoulder (with right arm) as far as possible, and this distance is measured in degrees. The change for ROM for the right shoulder is measured as the difference in degrees of ROM recorded from baseline to one hour after study treatment. If the change is positive (+), this means that ROM has gotten better and the right shoulder can move further more easily than before getting the treatment. If the change is negative (-), this means that ROM has gotten worse and the right shoulder can move less and not as far to the left side than before getting the treatment.	baseline and one hour

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Erchonia Corporation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Richard Amy, DC; Principal Investigator: George Gonzalez, DC; Principal Investigator: John Pinto, DC; Principal Investigator: Allen Wentworth, DC; Principal Investigator: Robert Stashko, DC

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• FDA 510(k)#K050672 clearance listing for pain reduction
• FDA 510(k)#K012580 clearance based on these study results

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2000
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2000
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2000

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 25, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 26, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): June 29, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 2, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 2, 2014
• Last Verified: April 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Chronic Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: ECP-001