Laser vs LED results on muscle damage

BRAZIL. This study compared the effect of single-diode laser and LED cluster before heavy exercise. Only the LED cluster probe decreased post-exercise creatine kinase levels after the Wingate cycle test. This is not a  true comparison of Laser vs LED as the LED irradiance was lower, the total energy was higher and it covered  a larger area. Still the results for the LED are impressive and this paper adds more weight to the validity of LED treatments. Read on …

Comparison Between Single-Diode Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and LED Multi-Diode (Cluster) Therapy (LEDT) Applications Before High-Intensity Exercise.

Junior EC, Lopes-Martins RA, Baroni BM, De Marchi T, Rossi RP, Grosselli D, Generosi RA, de Godoi V, Basso M, Mancalossi JL, Bjordal JM.

1 Laboratory of Human Movement, University of Caxias do Sul , Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil .

Abstract Background Data and Objective: There is anecdotal evidence that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) may affect the development of muscular fatigue, minor muscle damage, and recovery after heavy exercises. Although manufacturers claim that cluster probes (LEDT) maybe more effective than single-diode lasers in clinical settings, there is a lack of head-to-head comparisons in controlled trials. This study was designed to compare the effect of single-diode LLLT and cluster LEDT before heavy exercise. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over study. Young male volleyball players (n = 8) were enrolled and asked to perform three Wingate cycle tests after 4 x 30 sec LLLT or LEDT pretreatment of the rectus femoris muscle with either (1) an active LEDT cluster-probe (660/850 nm, 10/30 mW), (2) a placebo cluster-probe with no output, and (3) a single-diode 810-nm 200-mW laser. Results: The active LEDT group had significantly decreased post-exercise creatine kinase (CK) levels (-18.88 +/- 41.48 U/L), compared to the placebo cluster group (26.88 +/- 15.18 U/L) (p < 0.05) and the active single-diode laser group (43.38 +/- 32.90 U/L) (p < 0.01). None of the pre-exercise LLLT or LEDT protocols enhanced performance on the Wingate tests or reduced post-exercise blood lactate levels. However, a non-significant tendency toward lower post-exercise blood lactate levels in the treated groups should be explored further. Conclusion: In this experimental set-up, only the active LEDT probe decreased post-exercise CK levels after the Wingate cycle test. Neither performance nor blood lactate levels were significantly affected by this protocol of pre-exercise LEDT or LLLT.

Photomed Laser Surg. 2009 Mar 20.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=DetailsSearch&Term=19302015[uid]