Phototherapy (photobiomodulation) for peripheral nerve and muscle injury

Severe peripheral nerve and muscle injuries are a highly prevalent condition for both civilians and military personnel caused by traffic accidents, work injuries, acts of violence, as well as combat events. Peripheral nerve injury is a substantial problem that annually affects more than several millions of people all over the world. For most patients who suffer from severe peripheral nerve injuries spontaneous recovery may eventually occur, but it is slow and frequently incomplete. Effective posttraumatic nerve repair and decrease or prevention of corresponding muscle atrophy remain a great challenge to restorative medicine. A certain clinical interest began to appear in the potential therapeutic value of laser phototherapy (new name – laser photobiomodulation) for regeneration enhancement of injured peripheral nerve as well as for restoration or prevention of denervated muscle atrophy. Although a pioneering report regarding the effects of laser phototherapy on the regeneration of traumatically injured peripheral nerves was published in the late 1970s,1 it is only since the end of past century - early 2000s that scientific interest in this therapeutic approach for neural rehabilitation has appeared, leading to publication of several studies that have shown positive effects of phototherapy on peripheral nerve regeneration.2 [...]