A case series studying the effect of low level laser therapy in osteoarthritis knee in elderly population of northeastern India

Author(s): Tashi Khonglah, Wanlamkupar Khongwir and P Rajith

Abstract: Background: Osteoarthritis knee affects a large portion of the population and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The increase in life expectancy further added to the burden of the disease. Joint replacement surgery is in accessible to most people in this region. Our objective is to study the effectiveness of low level laser therapy in primary osteoarthritis knees in the north-eastern elderly population of India. Materials and methods: This is a prospective cohort study in 30 patients attending orthopaedic outpatient department with primary osteoarthritis knee. All selected patients including both male and female were managed with low level laser therapy (wavelength of 905 nm and a power that varies from 27 Wp to 100 Wp) for 4consecutive weeks. Scoring using WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index) and VAS (Visual analog scale) were taken during first enrolment and then at 4 and 8 weeks of follow up. Results: There was a significant improvement in both WOMAC and VAS scores both at 4 weeks and 8 weeks of follow up. Improvement from baseline WOMAC mean score (enrolment 58.8, 79.36 at 4 weeks and 93.1 at 8 weeks (p<0.05). Similarly VAS mean score improved (enrolment 7.3, 3.36 at 4 weeks, and 1.33 at 8 weeks (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results of our study we may conclude that low level laser therapy is an effective treatment for short-term improvement in patients suffering from OA knees.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/ortho.2018.v4.i4a.05