Efficacy of High-intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) in the Patients With Cervical Disc Herniation

Baskent University Ankara Hospital

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cervical Disc Herniation

Treatments: Other: Exercise; Device: High Intensity Laser Therapy; Device: Ultrasound; Device: Transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05474625

E-946003339-604.01.02-38865

Details and patient eligibility

About

The worldwide prevalence of neck pain is between 16.7-75.1%, it has been seen at an increasing rate in recent years due to sedentary living conditions.

Pharmacological treatment, neck collar, traction, manual therapy, interventional injection techniques, surgical treatment and conventional physical therapy methods such as hotpack, ultrasound, TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), vacuum interference, exercise are applied in the treatment of neck pain.

In recent years, High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) has been used as a painless and non-invasive physical therapy agent. It received FDA approval in 2002 for HILT in the treatment of variety of musculoskeletal disorders.

There are a few studies in the literature investigating the efficacy of HILT in chronic neck pain. There is only one study investigating the efficacy of HILT in cervical disc herniation. In this study, the efficacy of HILT and ultrasound-TENS in the treatment of neck pain caused by cervical disc herniation has been compared, but the results of the exercise control group and long-term follow-up were not available.

The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the short and long-term efficacy of HILT treatment using improvement in the pain, range of motion, activities of daily living and functionality of the cervical spine in patients with cervical disc herniation. In group 1, only exercises will be applied; in the group 2, HILT will be applied in addition to exercise; in the group 3, hotpack, TENS, ultrasound will be applied in addition to exercises.

Enrollment: 150 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with cervical disc herniation diagnosed by MRI whose symptoms started for at least 3 months ago
• Not receiving physical therapy and rehabilitation in the last 3 months
• Not taking any medications such as analgesics, anti-inflammatoires or muscle relaxants for the treatment of symptoms.

Exclusion criteria

• patients with major psychiatric disease, cervical spine surgery and rheumatological disease; pacemaker users; those who were injected with local corticosteroids; pregnant women; cancer patients

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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150 participants in 3 patient groups

Exercise Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Only exercises

Treatment:

Other: Exercise

High Intensity Laser Therapy(HILT) Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Exercises+HILT

Treatment:

Other: Exercise

Device: High Intensity Laser Therapy

Conventional Physiotherapy Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Exercise+Hotpack+Transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS)+Ultrasound

Treatment:

Other: Exercise

Device: Ultrasound

Device: Transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS)