Efficacy of high intensity laser therapy versus sham laser in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of six sessions of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT), administered twice a week over three weeks, in reducing pain and improving function in patients with mild to moderate symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Forty patients were randomly assigned to either the HILT group (n = 20) or a sham control group (n = 20). The HILT group received two initial sessions of analgesic mode HILT with a total energy of 600 J at the medial and lateral joint lines, followed by four sessions of biostimulation mode with 3000 J at the medial joint line. Both groups also participated in a supervised home exercise program. The visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and timed up and go test (TUG) were evaluated before treatment and at 3 and 6 weeks after the initial treatment. The VAS and the WOMAC improved significantly in both groups. However, there were no significant differences in any of the measured outcomes between the two groups. Both groups showed no significant improvement in TUG. In treating mild to moderate OA knee, integrating twice a week, 6 sessions (2 sessions of analgesic and 4 sessions of biostimulation mode) HILT to exercise program is not superior to exercise alone.