Rheumatoid arthritis
LLLT for rheumatoid arthritis systematic review and meta-analysis
Lourinho I, Sousa T, Jardim R, et al. PLOS One. 2023.
A 2023 review found low-quality evidence suggesting infrared laser may not differ from sham in adults with rheumatoid arthritis.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
no-clear-effect
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The review included 18 RCTs with 793 participants.
- Low-quality evidence suggested infrared laser may not differ from sham for pain, morning stiffness, grip strength, function, inflammation, range of motion, disease activity, or adverse events.
- Evidence for red laser, laser acupuncture, and related approaches was very uncertain.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied by trial |
| Duration | Varied by trial |
| Treatment area | Affected joints or acupuncture/reflexology targets depending on trial |
| Device type | Low-level laser therapy |
Caveats
- Rheumatoid arthritis is autoimmune and requires medical care.
- This category should avoid strong efficacy claims.