Phototherapy — a treatment modality for wound healing and pain relief

Abstract

When applied properly, phototherapy or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
has proved to be very efficient in relieving pain and improving wound
healing. However, until recently there has been a lack of scientific
scrutiny concerning the clinical efficacy of this procedure. This does not
mean that phototherapy does not work. A search for “laser” and
“therapy” on the ISI Web of Knowledge database reported that the USA
accounts for 35.69% of the research material while only 18 papers were
reported from South Africa (1987-2006) which accounts for 0.17% of the
10 652 papers analyzed. Despite the lack of scientific research, clinical
results have been exceptional. Clinicians around the world, based on their
professional experiences, confirm the analgesic effect of phototherapy.
Unfortunately, from a strictly scientific point of view, these reports are
hardly conclusive. There has been little or no standardization in the
application of phototherapy. This review investigates key aspects of
phototherapy and the efficacy of laser therapy for specific applications
namely, wound healing and pain relief.
(Afr. J. Biomed. Res. 10:

Keywords: wound healing, pain relief, LLLT, phototherapy, laser