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Laser acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for spastic cerebral palsy in children
Ola A Dabbous1, Yousry M Mostafa2, Hossam A El Noamany3
1Department of Medical Applications of Laser, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences (NILES), Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. oladabous@yahoo.com.
Insights
Laser acupuncture can help reduce spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This alternative therapy, combined with physiotherapy, showed benefits in muscle tone and specific motor function goals for CP patients.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common pediatric neurological disorder affecting movement and muscle tone.
- Laser acupuncture is an emerging alternative therapy for chronic pediatric conditions.
- Conventional physiotherapy is a standard treatment for spasticity in CP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical benefit of low-level laser therapy on acupuncture points as an adjunct to conventional physiotherapy in children with hemiplegic spastic cerebral palsy.
- To assess the impact of laser acupuncture on muscle tone, range of motion, and gross motor function in young CP patients.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 40 children (aged 1-4 years) with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
- Participants were divided into a control group (physiotherapy only) and a study group (physiotherapy plus laser acupuncture).
- Laser acupuncture involved applying a 650 nm, 50 mW low-level laser to acupoints for 30 seconds per point, with energy density of 1.8 J/cm(2).
Main Results:
- The study group showed a significant reduction in muscle tone (wrist and plantar flexors) compared to the control group.
- No significant differences were observed in the range of motion between the groups.
- While the total gross motor function measurement (GMFM) score did not differ significantly, the study group demonstrated improvement in the goal total score.
Conclusions:
- Laser acupuncture, when used as an adjunct to physiotherapy, demonstrates a beneficial effect in reducing spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.
- This therapeutic approach may contribute to improving motor function and movement in young CP patients.
- Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects and optimal parameters for laser acupuncture in pediatric rehabilitation.
Abstract:
Laser acupuncture is widely used as an alternative line of treatment in several chronic pediatric diseases. To investigate whether biostimulation by low-level laser on acupuncture points adds a clinical benefit to conventional physiotherapy in hemiplegic spastic cerebral palsy (CP) children. Forty spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy children by age 1-4 years were chosen from the pediatric outpatient clinic of the National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences (NILES), Cairo University, and Menofyia University hospitals. They were randomly divided into control and study groups; 20 children each. Both groups received physiotherapy for 3 months, while only the study group also received laser acupuncture (low-level laser 650 nm with 50 mW power was applied at each acupoint for 30 s giving an energy density of 1.8 J/cm(2)). Preassessment and postassessment of muscle tone, the range of motion (ROM), and gross motor function measurements (GMFMs) were obtained, and the results were statistically analyzed. Comparison between posttreatment measures for the control vs. study groups showed significant difference in muscle tone (wrist flexors and plantar flexors) in favor of the study group, while range of motion showed no significant differences. GMFM showed no significant difference in total score while there was a significant difference in goal total score (sum of % scores for each dimension identified as goal area divided by number of goal areas) in favor of the study group. Laser acupuncture has a beneficial effect on reducing spasticity in spastic cerebral palsy and may be helpful in improving their movement.
