Role of low-level laser therapy in post-herpetic neuralgia: a pilot study
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Role of low-level laser therapy in post-herpetic neuralgia: a pilot study Rushqia Mukhtar 1 & M. Umar Fazal 2 & M. Saleem 3
&
Salman Saleem 2
Received: 25 September 2019 / Accepted: 22 January 2020 # Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of low-level laser radiation at a wavelength of 650 nm for treating post-herpetic neuralgia, an extremely painful condition which frequently occurs severely in old age and may persist for years with no predictable course. In total, fifteen patients were included in the present study, out of which 8 were females and 7 were males aged between 42 and 82 years. All patients were treated through 16 sessions for 8 weeks, and pain scoring was done on a visual analogue scale and statistical analysis was made for comparison before and after treatments. The final pain score was 0 in 11 patients although their initial pain score was severe in 8 and moderate in 3 patients. In three patients, pain reduced to mild intensity (2–3), and in one, the final pain score was 4 on the visual analogue scale. Patients treated during the present study have not complained for recurrence of pain or any other abnormality even after many months since completion of the therapy. Overall, low-level laser therapy (LLLT) proved itself an excellent therapeutic modality for the relief of pain in post-herpetic neuralgia patients, which may replace pain management medicines in future. Keywords Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) . Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) . Pain relief . Laser diode at 650 nm . Photobiomodulation . Visual analogue scale
Introduction Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a painful condition which affects nerve fibres. It is the complication of herpes zoster that affects 50% individuals over the age of 50 years who develop shingles [1]. PHN is a burning, stabbing and extremely severe pain that occurs along a damaged nerve. It results from the inflammation of the sensory dorsal root ganglia of affected skin [1, 2]. Chronic neuropathic pain needs medications on a * Rushqia Mukhtar [email protected] * M. Saleem [email protected] 1
Department of Dermatology, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission General Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan
2
Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Shifa International Hospital Islamabad, Islamabad, Capital Territory, Pakistan
3
Agri. & Biophotonics Division, National Institute of Lasers and Optronics College, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (NILOP-C, PIEAS), Nilore, Islamabad 45650, Pakistan
regular basis that requires balanced efficacy and tolerability in order to prescribe drugs with the least side effects. The firstline trials of anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, alone or in combinations, can be used. Opioid medications like methadone proved their excellent effects in refractory cases. Some therapies like carbamazepine have been used successfully for long duration for treating tr
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