Low intensity laser therapy and pain relief

Abstract

The first clinical observations of the potential analgesic benefits of laser therapy were found to be associated with successful treatment of chronic wounds: i.e. as the wound resolved, so did any concomitant pain. Production of pain relief in such circumstances is perhaps unsurprising given the type of pain, (i.e. nociceptive pain), which would reasonably be expected to be alleviated as the lesion is successfully treated. However, laser therapy has found application in the treatment of a variety of painful conditions syndromes, beyond simple nociceptive pain. In attempting to explain the observed benefits in these cases, alternative mechanisms of action need to be considered.