Management of Pain and Inflammation in Knee Osteoarthritis using Class IV LASER- An Experimental Study.

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative inflammatory disease affecting the entire joint and is characterised by progressive oss of cartilage and associated with pain. The tissue cells absorbs a certain wavelength of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER) which triggers a number of chemical responses in the cells that promote healing and reduce inflammation. Aim: To find the effect of Class IV LASER on pain and inflammation in knee osteoarthritis of older adults. Materials and Methods: This study utilised an experimental controlled design with pre and post comparison. The study was conducted from March 2023 to January 2024 at Jindal Physio Care, New Delhi, India, with the sample size of 36 subjects (18 each group). Participants were recruited based upon a predefined selection criterion. After signing the informed consent, all the subjects were randomly distributed among two groups (Group A and Group B). Outcome variables were inflammatory biomarkers Interleukins 6 (IL 6), Interleukins 1β (IL 1β), C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), which were assessed in the beginning and at the end of study period of 10 weeks. Group A was given Placebo LASER along with moist heat, exercises and knee brace while Group B was given Class IV high-intensity LASER along with moist heat, exercises and knee brace. Data were analysed using the Student’s t-test and significance level was kept 95% (p<0.05). Results: There was a significant decrease in NPRS score, IL 6, IL 1β and CRP levels in both the groups at the end of the study. A substantial reduction was found in group B compared to group A (p<0.001). Conclusion: Class IV LASER treatment has been found satisfactory in alleviating pain and inflammation, which may be a promising treatment method for knee osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]