Evaluation of photobiomodulation therapy in pain relief in patients with low back pain

• Grant number: 18/18968-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2019
• End date: March 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal Junior
• Grantee: Matheus Marinho Aguiar Lino
• Host Institution: Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE). Campus Vergueiro. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Low back pain is one of the main causes of reduced quality of life and disability, also considered the leading cause of disability worldwide, this condition causes a large number of absence in jobs and excessive costs for health systems. Physical therapy offers different types of treatment for low back pain, aiming to provide pain relief and restore structural and functional properties. The use of photobiomodulation therapy has shown satisfactory results in the attenuation of chronic pain in the lumbar region, but more work has to be performed in order to establish a standard of use. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of phototherapy with the LEAP SportsPod® device in the relief of chronic pain in the lumbar region. For this, a randomized, placebo-controlled, triple blind trial will be conducted, for which 30 volunteers will be recruited, randomly assigned to two experimental groups. The volunteers will receive phototherapy with the device that covers an area of 252 cm2 in the lumbar region. After treatment with phototherapy, volunteers will be evaluated according to the degree of pain classification (VAS), range of motion (ROM) of the lumbar region and the satisfaction of the individual with the overall result of the treatment.