Author Archives: James Carroll

15 new research papers for you this month including LLLT treatments for: osteonecrosis of the jaw in cancer patients, laser vs ultrasound for shoulder myofascial pain syndrome, radiation-induced mucositis in head and neck cancer patients, persistent idiopathic facial pain and a negative study for subacromial impingement syndrome. This negative result is hardly a surprise as the laser was only 6mW. It is a shame the authors did not come on our training course before embarking on this study. There are ten more papers to review including Alzheimer’s disease, TMJ, respiratory diseases in children and a a MUST READ editorial on the effect of LLLT on suppression of activity of peripheral nerve endings by Dr Roberta Chow MD PhD.

Association of laser phototherapy with PRP improves healing of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws in cancer patients: A preliminary study.

Martins MA, Martins MD, Lascala CA, Curi MM, Migliorati CA, Tenis CA, Marques MM

School of Dentistry, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil; Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande … Continue reading →

43 LLLT papers for your review, including reduced muscle fatigue when training, improved nerve conduction in diabetic polyneuropathy, improved bold flow in patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency, improved hair density and hair thickness in women, improved healing of dry sockets after tooth extraction, a paper I co-authored showing how LLLT reduces cognitive deficits and inhibits microglial activation after TBI in mice, and many many more.

Effects of low-level laser therapy (808 nm) on isokinetic muscle performance of young women submitted to endurance training: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

de Brito Vieira WH, Ferraresi C, de Andrade Perez SE, Baldissera V, Parizotto NA

Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Campus Universitario Lagoa Nova), Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil, hericksonfisio@yahoo.com.br.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has shown efficacy in muscle bioenergetic activation and its effects could influence the mechanical performance of this tissue during physical exercise. This study tested whether endurance training associated with LLLT could increase human muscle performance in isokinetic dynamometry when compared to the same … Continue reading →

Thirty-Three new LLLT papers for you this month including; pretreatment of untrained runners in which LLLT increased performance and reduced oxidative damage, yet another trial on oral mucositis (that is now 14 RCTs according to my calculations), this time using LED extra-orally to cheeks and throat tissues on children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a paper published on LED treatment of cellulite applied during treadmill training claims reduced saddlebag and thigh circumference (controlled, but not a randomised or blinded study).

There is also an in-vitro study on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation with 810nm laser and its effect on NF-kB (from Harvard). This is important – we all need to learn more about NF-kB, because it governs many cellular functions (including inflammation and cell death); and they found that NF-kB can be stimulated by light induced ROS to protect healthy cells. You may also have heard that oxidative stress (caused by ROS) can also be reversed by treatment with LLLT, how weird is that! This is easily explained but I’m not going … Continue reading →

22 new papers for your review. The BMJ clinical evidence recommendations for tennis elbow now include LLLT, next on the list is a systematic review with meta-analysis of LLLT on oral mucositis, this finds reduced pain, severity and duration of OM symptoms. There is also a laser vs ultrasound clinical trial on shoulder myofascial pain, and lab rat studies on red vs IR for laser-induced analgesia, reduced scarring post MI following laser irradiated stem cells transplanted to bone marrow, one on sciatic pain and another study on acute lung inflammation (an adult respiratory distress syndrome model).

Tennis elbow.

Bisset L, Coombes B, Vicenzino B

Department of Health and Rehabilitation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

INTRODUCTION: Lateral pain in the elbow affects up to 3% of the population, and is considered an overload injury of the extensor tendons of the forearm where they attach at the lateral epicondyle. Although usually self-limiting, symptoms may persist for over … Continue reading →