Tennis elbow / lateral epicondylitis
LLLT for lateral elbow tendinopathy systematic review and meta-analysis
Bjordal JM, Lopes-Martins RA, Joensen J, et al. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2008.
A meta-analysis found short-term pain and disability benefits when LLLT directly irradiated lateral elbow tendon insertions at suitable wavelengths and doses.
Evidence grade
moderate
Effect direction
positive
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The review identified 18 placebo-controlled RCTs; 13 trials with 730 patients entered meta-analysis.
- Positive findings were concentrated in protocols using 904 nm and possibly 632 nm directly over tendon insertions.
- Acupuncture-point approaches and some wavelengths had negative results.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | 632, 904 nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied by trial |
| Duration | Follow-up commonly 3-8 weeks after treatment |
| Treatment area | Lateral elbow tendon insertions |
| Device type | Low-level laser therapy |
Caveats
- Targeting and wavelength mattered in subgroup analysis.
- Most consumer red/NIR panels do not emit 904 nm.