Improvement of pain and disability in elderly patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee treated with narrow-band light therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of low-power light therapy on pain and disability in elderly patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee.


METHODS
Partially double-blinded, fully randomized trial comparing red, infrared, and placebo light emitters.


METHODS
Fifty patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of both knees were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: red (15 patients), infrared (18 patients), and placebo (17 patients). Infrared and placebo emitters were double-blinded.


METHODS
Self-applied treatment to both sides of the knee for 15 minutes twice a day for 10 days.


METHODS
Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, Present Pain Intensity, and Visual Analogue Scale for pain and Disability Index Questionnaire for disability were used. We evaluated pain and disability before and on the tenth day of therapy. The period from the end of the treatment until the patient's request to be retreated was summed up 1 year after the trial.


RESULTS
Pain and disability before treatment did not show statistically significant differences between the three groups. Pain reduction in the red and infrared groups after the treatment was more than 50% in all scoring methods (P less than 0.05). There was no significant pain improvement in the placebo group. We observed significant functional improvement in red- and infrared-treated groups (p less than 0.05), but not in the placebo group. The period from the end of treatment until the patients required treatment was longer for red and infrared groups than for the placebo group (4.2 +/- 3.0, 6.1 +/- 3.2, and 0.53 +/- 0.62 months, for red, infrared, and placebo, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Low-power light therapy is effective in relieving pain and disability in degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee.
Stelian
J
J
Geriatric Medical Center, Shmuel Harofe Hospital, Beer Yaakov, Israel.
Gil
I
I
Habot
B
B
Rosenthal
M
M
Abramovici
I
I
Kutok
N
N
Khahil
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007719:Knee Joint; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000628:therapy*; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*