Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27207675›Full record

SynthesisAcupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society2016

Low-level laser therapy for chronic non-specific low back pain: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Gregory Glazov, Michael Yelland, Jon Emery

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05926752 (Photobiomodulation Therapy for Myofascial Pelvic Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 49 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05926752 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Photobiomodulation Therapy for Myofascial Pelvic Pain: A Randomized Clinical Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorOrlando VA Medical CenterRan2021 to 2024Enrolled28ConditionsPelvic Pain, Levator Ani Syndrome, Spastic Pelvic Floor Syndrome, Chronic Pelvic Pain SyndromeArmsSoLá therapy, Pelvic floor physical therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 117 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. Effect of laser treatment on postural control parameters in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2019
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Gregory GlazovHillarys Medical Centre, Hillarys, Western Australia, Australia School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health Care, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
Michael YellandPrimary Health Care, School of Medicine, Griffith University, Meadowbank, Queensland, Australia.
Jon EmeryGeneral Practice and Primary Care Academic Centre, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Griffith University · AUUniversity of Melbourne · AUUniversity of Western Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe efficacy of low-level laser treatment (LLLT) for chronic back pain remains controversial due to insufficient trial data. We aimed to conduct an updated review to determine if LLLT (including laser acupuncture) has specific benefits in chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP).

methodsElectronic databases were searched for randomised trials using sham controls and blinded assessment examining the intervention of LLLT in adults with CNLBP. Primary outcomes were pain and global assessment of improvement with up to short-term follow-up. Secondary outcomes were disability, range of back movement, and adverse effects. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted. Subgroup analyses were based on laser dose, duration of baseline pain, and whether or not laser therapy used an acupuncture approach.

results15 studies were selected involving 1039 participants. At immediate and short-term follow-up there was significant pain reduction of up to WMD (weighted mean difference) -1.40 cm (95% CI -1.91 to -0.88 cm) in favour of laser treatment, occurring in trials using at least 3 Joules (J) per point, with baseline pain <30 months and in non-acupuncture LLLT trials. Global assessment showed a risk ratio of 2.16 (95% CI 1.61 to 2.90) in favour of laser treatment in the same groups only at immediate follow-up.

conclusionsWe demonstrated moderate quality of evidence (GRADE) to support a clinically important benefit in LLLT for CNLBP in the short term, which was only seen following higher laser dose interventions and in participants with a shorter duration of back pain. Rigorously blinded trials using appropriate laser dosage would provide greater certainty around this conclusion.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyAdultAgedChronic PainFemaleHumansLow Back PainLow-Level Light TherapyMaleMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeLASER THERAPY, LOW LEVELPAIN MANAGEMENTSYSTEMATIC REVIEWS

Identifiers

PMID27207675
PMCPMC5099186
OpenAlexW2400588531

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.