ReviewJournal of clinical medicine2022
High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) as an Emerging Treatment for Vulvodynia and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Disorders: A Systematic Review of Treatment Efficacy.
Review in Journal of clinical medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 4 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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 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
- Effectiveness of high-intensity laser therapy in patients with spinal radiculopathy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Quality appraisal of systematic reviews on high-intensity laser therapy for musculoskeletal pain management: an umbrella review.Lasers in medical science · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of high-intensity laser therapy in the management of neck pain.Lasers in medical science · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of a single Nd:YAG laser dose in reducing pain after mandibular third molar extraction: a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.Lasers in medical science · 2024Trial
- Photobiomodulation and Low-Level Laser Therapy as Complementary Strategies in Diabetes Treatment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Article
- Adjunctive Approach to Therapeutic Laser and Exercise Therapies in Alleviating Pain and Disability in Patients with Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review.Journal of lifestyle medicine · 2024Review
- Efficacy of High-Intensity and Low-Level Laser Therapy Combined With Exercise Therapy on Pain and Function in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.Journal of lasers in medical sciences · 2024Review
- TECAR Therapy Associated with High-Intensity Laser Therapy (Hilt) and Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Muscle Disorders: A Literature Review on the Theorised Effects Supporting Their Use.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
High-intensity laser therapy (HILT) has been gaining popularity in the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain, including vulvodynia. The objective of this study was to critically appraise and synthesize the available evidence on the efficacy of HILT for reducing pain and improving function in vulvodynia and other chronic primary musculoskeletal pain conditions. Electronic databases and the grey literature were searched. Effects on pain intensity, function, and adverse events were assessed. One study investigating HILT in the treatment of vulvodynia and 13 studies on the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain were selected. The study assessing vulvodynia showed favorable results for reducing pain. Regarding chronic musculoskeletal pain, 12 out of the 13 studies selected consistently showed that HILT was more effective than the placebo/active comparator for reducing pain and improving function. The available effect sizes for pain showed large to huge effects. Similar effects were observed for function except for two studies showing moderate effects. The GRADE score was moderate. Conclusions: There are insufficient data to support the use of HILT in vulvodynia, but the promising results encourage further research. HILT appears to be effective in musculoskeletal pain conditions. More high-quality studies are needed to identify effective laser protocols.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.