ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2020
Efficacy of Acupoints Dual-Frequency Low-Level Laser Therapy on Knee Osteoarthritis.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of laser acupuncture for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Lasers in medical science · 2026Pooled it
- Laser acupuncture in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of laser acupuncture on osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Photobiomodulation for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: therapeutic effects and molecular mechanism.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Effect of laser acupuncture on pain, range of motion, and function in patellofemoral pain syndrome: a randomised controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- A Commentary on Laser Acupuncture for the Pain of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials [Response to Letter].Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- Laser Acupuncture for the Pain of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of pain research · 2025Review
- Interpreting the Evidence for Laser Acupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis Management: A Call for Methodological Rigor and Nuance [Letter].Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- The Effects of High-Intensity Laser Therapy vs. Low-Level Laser Therapy on Functional Ability and Quadriceps Architecture in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Single-Blinded Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of lasers in medical sciences · 2024Article
- Efficacy of Photobiomodulation Therapy in the Treatment of Pain and Inflammation: A Literature Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Effects of low-level laser therapy on acupuncture points on knee pain and function in knee osteoarthritis.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundKnee osteoarthritis (OA) presented with knee pain and limitation of mobility is common, and it may become a chronic problem resulting in major loss of function, with related impaired activity of daily living. Current traditional therapy for knee OA includes pharmacological treatment and physiotherapy, but the efficacies are limited. An alternative noninvasive treatment low-level laser therapy (LLLT) applied to acupoints is still contradictory and the efficacy needs to be assessed. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We conduct the randomized double-blind control study to investigate the efficacy of a dual-frequency LLLT (combines red light (780 nm) and near-infrared light (830 nm)) in patients suffering knee OA. Participates were randomly assigned into active laser therapy (ALT) and placebo laser therapy (PLT) groups. Subjects in the ALT group were separately treated by laser apparatus at the three acupoints (SP9, SP10, and EX-LE2) on their knee joints under continuous radiation for 15 min at the maximum intensity, three times per week for four weeks. The PLT group used laser apparatus of the same model according to similar procedures without laser light emission. Outcome Measurements including visual analog scale (VAS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), and Lequesne index were used.
resultsA total of 30 subjects with two-sided knee OA in both groups completed the experiment. Statistically significant decreases were observed in the Lequesne index (5.27 ± 3.26 vs. 10.83 ± 3.83), conscious VAS 4 weeks after treatment (moving: 2.87 ± 1.13 vs. 5.67 ± 1.72; resting: 0.33 ± 0.62 vs. 2.67 ± 1.29), and the increase was noted in PPT (21.23 ± 1.82 kg vs. 13.02 ± 1.46 kg) in the ALT group compared with the PLT group.
conclusionIt appears that the knee OA pain and disability can be decreased after a dual-frequency LLLT applied to acupoints (SP9, SP10, and EX-LE2). The clinical efficacy of LLLT is highly related to the therapeutic settings of the laser apparatus; hence, more clinical trials with diffident parameter settings are needed to be further clarified.
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Registered trials
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