The efficacy of high-intensity laser therapy in low back pain: A critical appraisal

The current narrative review was planned to identify the most likely factors that influence the diversity of the findings among clinical studies that investigate the use of high-intensity laser therapy in treating low-back pain. It also planned to provide recommendations with respect to the methodological drawbacks identified in literature. An extensive literature search of clinical and randomised, controlled trials was conducted using Embase, MEDLINE, Cinahl databases and the Cochrane Controlled Trial Register as well as a search by hand. The search yielded only six studies that could be critically reviewed. This limited number of studies exhibited different treatment approaches, parameters, blinding procedures, symptom durations, irradiated areas and testing occasions. The studies assessing the efficacy of high-intensity laser therapy in treating low-back pain showed controversial findings, which may be due to diversity in treatment parameters, approaches, symptom duration, blinding and / or randomisation procedures and testing occasions.