Archive for the 'Carpal Tunnel Syndrome' category

Conditions Helped With Low Level Laser (Cold) Therapy

Posts Posted by Doctor under Articles, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Great Results on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 8:06 pm
Numerous double-blind, randomized studies have shown that Laser Therapy is an effective treatment modality for a wide range of indications. Below are a few examples

Achilles tendinitis: Bjordal, J.M., et al. (2006). A randomized, placebo controlled trial of low level laser therapy for activated Achilles tendinitis with microdialysis measurement of peritendinous prostaglandin E2 concentrations. British Journal of Sports Medicine 40, pp. 75-80.

Acute pain (meta-analysis): Bjordal, J.M., et al. (2006). Low-Level Laser Therapy in Acute Pain: A Systematic Review of Possible Mechanisms of Action and Clinical Effets in Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery 24(2), pp. 158-168.

Carpal tunnel syndrome: Ekim, A., et al. (2007). Effect of low level laser therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Swiss Medical Weekly 23-24, pp. 347-352.

Chronic neck pain: Chow, R.T., et al. (2006). The effect of 300 mW, 830 nm laser on chronic neck pain: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Pain 124(1-2), pp. 201-210.

Herpes simplex: Schindl, A., and Neumann, R. (1999). Low-Intensity Laser Therapy is an Effective Treatment for Recurrent Herpes Simplex Infection. Results from a Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study. Investigative Dermatology 113, pp. 221-223.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Gur, A., et al. (2004). Efficacy of 904 nm Gallium Arsenide Low Level Laser Therapy in the Management of Chronic Myofascial Pain in the Neck: A Double-Blind and Randomize-Controlled Trial. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 35, pp. 229-235.

Oral mucositis: Bensadoun, R.J., et al. (1999). Low-energy He/Ne laser in the prevention of radiation-induced mucositis – A multicenter phase III randomized study in patients with head and neck cancer. Support Care Cancer 7(4), pp. 217-218.

Osteoarthritic knee pain (meta-analysis): Bjordal, J.M., et al. (2007). Short-term efficacy of physical interventions in osteoarthritic knee pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials. BNC Musculoskeletal Disorders 8, pp. 51-65.

Postmastectomy lymphedema: Carati, C.J., et al. (2003). Treatment of Postmastectomy Lymphedema with Low-Level Laser Therapy. American Cancer Society 98(6), pp. 1114-1122.

Stroke: Lampl, Y., et al. (2007). Infrared Laser Therapy for Ischemic Stroke: A new Treatment Strategy. Results of the NeuroThera Effectiveness and Safety Trial-1 (NEST-1). Stroke 38(6), pp.1843-1849.

Tendinitis and Myofascial Pain Syndrome (includes Epicondylitis, trochanteritis, etc): Lögdberg-Andersson, M., et al. (1997). Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) of Tendinitis and Myofascial Pains – A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Study. LLLT 9, pp. 79-86.

Tinnitus: Gungor, A., et al. (2007). Effectiveness of transmeatal low power laser irradiation for chronic tinnitus. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology 122(5), pp. 447-451.

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Is Laser More Effective Than Splinting with Carpal Tunnel?

Posts Posted by Doctor under Articles, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 6:22 pm

 

This study published in Clinical Rheumatology (2009 Sep;28(9):1059-65) compared LLLT to    splinting.The patients with unilateral, mild, or moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) who experienced symptoms over 3 months were included in the study. The LLLT (low level laser therapy) group received ten sessions of laser therapy and splinting while S group was given only splints.

The grip strength of splinting group was decreased significantly! 23% of the LLLT had full recovery and 57% had partial recovery, while only 4% of the splint group had full recovery.  It was concluded that laser therapy was more effective at stimulating nerve recovery than splinting.
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Can Lasers Heal a Herniated Disc?

Posts Posted by Doctor under Articles, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Neck Pain, Newsletter on Friday, May 29th, 2009 1:11 pm

Can Lasers Heal Herniated Discs?

Many practitioners use lasers over herniated and inflamed discs.  However, there has never been a scientific study that demonstrated accelerated disc healing with LLLT (low level laser therapy).  In this study (Biomed Sci Instrument 2008;44:34-40) done at University of Mississippi Medical Center, the researchers investigated the effects of low power laser on the healing process of a traumatized disc in an animal model.


The rats received 830 nm wavelength laser treatment for a period of 4 weeks. The results of this study indicated that the discs of the laser treated animals healed more effectively than the sham group. Image analysis revealed that there was more disc formation in the laser irradiated animals than the sham.


In conclusion, data obtained from this study demonstrated that laser irradiation delivered on traumatized discs resulted in a remarkable increase in discs regeneration and healing following trauma.  When researchers describe the results as “remarkable” it is worth watching.  This is especially true in light of the research that shows that photons do penetrate deeply into the disc and spinal cord.


However, because the disc is very deep, a powerful, cold laser would probably be required for consistent success.

Which Modality is More Effective, Laser or Ultrasound?

There is a lot of research on laser and ultrasound, but there is very little information comparing laser to ultrasound.  In this study (Photomed Laser Surg 2009 Jan 26), the researchers investigated the effectiveness of splinting, ultrasound (US), and low-level laser (LLL) in the management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).  This study is important because of the frequency of CTS and the fact that there is no consensus about the best way to manage CTS. 


Patients were randomly allocated to three groups that receive either splinting only, splinting plus US, and splinting plus LLL therapy. The study was completed with a total of 100 hands of 50 women patients with bilateral CTS.  It appeared that the combinations of US or LLL therapy with splinting were more effective than splinting alone in treating CTS. However, LLL therapy plus splinting was more advantageous than US therapy plus splinting, especially for the outcomes of lessening of symptom severity, pain alleviation, and increased patient satisfaction. 


This again supports prior research that documents that, although ultrasound has some healing effects, there is little doubt that laser is significantly more effective at stimulating healing, while increasing healthy tissue proliferation, than ultrasound. 

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Finally, No More Hand Pain!!

Posts Posted by Doctor under Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Testimonials on Monday, March 16th, 2009 2:26 pm

YouTube Preview Imagehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBAauEJYIg0

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Laser is Superior to Ultrasound in Stimulating Healing and Alleviating Pain

Posts Posted by Doctor under Articles, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 10:06 pm
Laser is Superior to Ultrasound in Stimulating Healing and Alleviating Pain

Therapists and doctors continue to debate the value of various electrotherapy modalities.  One of the debates concerns the value of ultrasound versus laser therapy.  The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of splinting, ultrasound (US), and low-level laser (LLL) in the management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).  Both laser and ultrasound were helpful.  However, LLL therapy plus splinting was more advantageous than US therapy plus splinting, especially for the outcomes of lessening of symptom severity, pain alleviation, and increased patient satisfaction. This study substantiates the results of other research projects that have documented that laser is more effective than ultrasound at stimulating healing and reducing pain. 
Photomed Laser Surg. 2009 Jan 26.
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91 year old-”No more carpal tunnel”

Posts Posted by Doctor under Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Great Results, Testimonials on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 5:55 pm

My name is Meyer Melman and I am 91 years old. I have been suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands for 30 years. I have seen military doctors, neurologists and been on pain medication (that didn’t even work). They recommended surgery and I said no way! I saw Dr. Alaimo’s carpal tunnel ad and came in for free consultation. He used a computerized traction device to gently stretch my wrists, muscle stimulation, ice, manipulation and the wonderful cold laser. I noticed immediate relief. After 5 sessions, I slept through the night for the first time in years. After 7 sessions I am 50% better. I wish this was around years ago, I wouldn’t have had to suffer this long. I would definately recommend Dr. Alaimo to anyone looking for straight answers and great results.

Meyer Melman

Wilmington, NC

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