Improvements of Pain and Disability in Elderly Patients

with Degenerative Osteoarthritis of the knee Treated

with Narrow- Band Light Therapy

Jean Stelian, MD, Israel Gil, MD, Beni Habot, MD, Michal Rosenthal,
MD, Iulian Abramovich, MD, Nathalia Kutok, MD, and Auni Khahil, MD

Objective: To evaluate the effects of low-power light therapy on pain and
disability in elderly patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee.

Design: partially double-blinded, fully randomized trial comparing Red,
infrared, and placebo light emitters.

Patients: fifty patients with degenerative osteoathritis of both knees were
randomly assigned to three treatment groups: red (15 patients), Infrared
(18 patients), and placebo (17 patients). Infrared and placebo emitters were
double blinded.

Interventions: self-applied treatment to both sides of the knee for 15 minutes
Twice a day for 10 days.

Main outcome measures: Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, Present
Pain intensity, and Visual Analogue Scale for pain and Disability Index
Questionnaire for disability were used. We evaluated pain and disability before
and on the tenth day of therapy. The period from the end of the treatment until
the patient's request to be restarted was summed up 1 year after the trial.

Results: Pain and disability before treatment did not show statistically significant
differences between the three groups. Pai reduction in the red and infrared groups
after the treatment was more than 50% in all scoring methods (P<0.05).
There was no significant pain improvement in the placebo group.
We observed significant functional improvement in red and infrared treated groups
(p<0.05), but not in the placebo group. The period from the end of the treatment
until the patient required retreatment was longer for red and infrared groups than
for the placebo group (4.2±3.0,6.1±3.2, and 0.53±0.62 months, for re, infrared,
and placebo, respectively).

Conclusions: Low-power light therapy is effective in relieving pain and disability
in degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee.

Reference: Jags January 1992, vol. 40 No. 1