Medical researcher Dr. Roberta Chow, MD, PhD was the lead author of a paper which summarized 16 clinical trials on Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and the management of neck pain. All the studies used LLLT of varying frequencies, and were double blinded, with either a placebo or control group. A total of 820 patients were included in the research, which included both acute and chronic neck pain.
Two trials showed an improvement in acute neck pain with the LLLT group over the placebo group. Five trials showed an improvement in chronic neck pain with LLLT over the control group. Eleven trials had a reduction of pain intensity that was statistically significant. Seven trials involved follow up to 22 weeks after the treatment trial.
There were mild side effects with LLLT group, but this was no different than with the placebo group. As with any therapy, individual results may vary, but overall the trials showed immediate pain reduction in the acute neck pain patients, and up to 22 weeks of reduced pain in the chronic patients post LLLT treatment.
Citation: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)61522-1/fulltext#article-upsell
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