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. 2015 Nov 16;46(6):697-701.
doi: 10.1016/S2255-4971(15)30327-X. eCollection 2011 Nov-Dec.

LOW-LEVEL LASER THERAPY AFTER CARPAL TUNNEL RELEASE

Marcelo de Pinho Teixeira Alves  1 , Gabriel Costa Serrão de Araújo  2
Affiliations

LOW-LEVEL LASER THERAPY AFTER CARPAL TUNNEL RELEASE

Marcelo de Pinho Teixeira Alves et al. Rev Bras Ortop. .

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the post-operative treatment of CTS, using the LLLT.

Method: We prospectively evaluated 58 patients with CTS, randomly divided into two groups: treatment with LLLT (Group 1) and placebo (Group 2). A 830 nm gallium-aluminum-arsenic laser was used, with a power of 30 mW.

Results: There was female predominance in both groups. The mean age of the patients in Group 1 was 44.3 years and in Group 2, 51.9 years. The average duration of disease progression was around two years in both groups. The average time elapsed since discharge from treatment was 3.6 months in both groups, and fewer patients had postoperative complaints in Group 1 than in Group 2. At the end of the treatment, in Group 1, 29.41% of the patients presented electromyographic abnormalities, while in Group 2, 63.64% of the patients had abnormalities, after six months.

Conclusion: This was an initial study on adjuvant therapy using postoperative LLLT on CTS. The method presented was sufficient for postoperative evaluation of the patients in this study. Patients undergoing LLLT after surgery for CTS were benefited and had better functional outcomes than shown by the control group. The technique was effective and did not have any adverse effects on the patients studied.

Keywords: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Laser Therapy; Low-Level; Median Neuropathy; Postoperative Period.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total number of patients with complaints, from both groups.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evolution of complaints of group 1.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Evolution of complaints of group 2.
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