Trial reportBMC geriatrics2019
Effect of deep tissue laser therapy treatment on peripheral neuropathic pain in older adults with type 2 diabetes: a pilot randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in BMC geriatrics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- The importance of power in photobiomodulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of high-intensity laser therapy.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Diabetic Neuropathy: a Critical, Narrative Review of Published Data from 2019.Current pain and headache reports · 2021Pooled it
- Wound healing after therapy of oral potentially malignant disorders with a 445-nm semiconductor laser: a randomized clinical trial.Clinical oral investigations · 2023Trial
- Photobiomodulation and Low-Level Laser Therapy as Complementary Strategies in Diabetes Treatment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The pivotal role of immunometabolism in diabetic neuropathy and its potential therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Article
- Update on Biomarkers of Chronic Inflammatory Processes Underlying Diabetic Neuropathy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Comparison of Tecar Therapy and Low-Level Laser Therapy Separately and Simultaneously on Clinical Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A 3-Month Follow-up Study.International journal of endocrinology and metabolism · 2024Article
- Effect of photobiomodulation on neuropathic pain of diabetic origin: a narrative review of the literature.Lasers in medical science · 2023Review
- Pain-resolving immune mechanisms in neuropathic pain.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2023Review
- Low level light therapy/photobiomodulation for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study assessed the safety and efficacy of deep tissue laser therapy on the management of pain, functionality, systemic inflammation, and overall quality of life of older adults with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
methodsThe effects of deep tissue laser therapy (DTLT) were assessed in a randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled, interventional trial. Forty participants were randomized (1:1) to receive either DTLT or sham laser therapy (SLT). In addition to the standard-of-care treatment, participants received either DTLT or SLT twice weekly for 4 weeks and then once weekly for 8 weeks (a 12-week intervention period). The two treatments were identical, except that laser emission was disabled during SLT. Assessments for pain, functionality, serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers, and quality of life (QOL) were performed at baseline and after the 12-week intervention period. The results from the two treatments were compared using ANOVA in a pre-test-post-test design.
resultsAll participants randomized to the DTLT group and 85% (17 of 20) of participants randomized to the SLT group completed the trial. No significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups were observed. After the 12-week intervention period, pain levels significantly decreased in both groups and were significantly lower in the DTLT group than in the SLT group. The Timed Up and Go test times (assessing functionality) were significantly improved in both groups and were 16% shorter in the DTLT group than in the SLT group. Serum levels of IL-6 decreased significantly in both groups. Additionally, serum levels of MCP-1 decreased significantly in the DTLT group but not in the SLT group. Patients' quality of life improved significantly in the DTLT group but not in the SLT group.
conclusionsDeep tissue laser therapy significantly reduced pain and improved the quality of life of older patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
trial registrationClinical Trial Registry-India CTRI/2017/06/008739 . [Registered on: 02/06/2017]. The trial was registered retrospectively.
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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.