Pulsed Red and Blue Photobiomodulation for the Treatment of Thigh Contusions and Soft Tissue Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

CONTEXT: Contusion and soft tissue injuries are common in sports. Photobiomodultion, light and laser therapy, is an effective aid to increase healing rates and improve function after various injury mechanisms. However, it is unclear how well photobiomodulation improves function after a contusion soft tissue injury. This study aimed to determine the effects of a pulsed red and blue photobiomodulation light patch on muscle function following a human thigh contusion injury. DESIGN: Single-blinded randomized control trial design. METHODS: We enrolled 46 healthy participants. Participants completed 5 visits on consecutive days. On the first visit, participants completed a baseline isokinetic quadriceps strength testing protocol at 60°/s and 180°/s. On the second visit, participants were struck in the rectus femoris of the anterior thigh with a tennis ball from a serving machine. Immediately following, participants were treated for 30 minutes with an active or placebo photobiomodulation patch (CareWear light patch system, CareWear Corp). Following the treatment, participants completed the same isokinetic quadriceps strength testing protocol. Participants completed the treatment and isokinetic quadriceps strength test during the following daily visits. We normalized the data by calculating the percent change from baseline. We used a mixed model analysis of covariance, with sex as a covariate, to determine the difference between treatment groups throughout the acute recovery process. RESULTS: We found the active photobiomodulation treatment significantly increased over the placebo group, quadriceps peak torque during the 180°/s test (P = .030), and average power during both the 60°/s (P = .041) and 180°/s (P ≤ .001) assessments. The mean peak torque and average power of 180°/s, at day 4, exceeded the baseline levels by 8.9% and 16.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The red and blue photobiomodulation light patch improved muscle strength and power during the acute healing phase of a human thigh contusion injury model.

Pulsed-dye laser as a novel therapeutic approach for post-filler bruises.

Fillers have become popular worldwide as the demand for enhancements in rejuvenating effects and esthetic improvements is continually increasing. With broader applications and the increasing number of cosmetic procedures using fillers, more filler-related complications are being reported. These filler-related complications range from mild bruising to severe vascular complications. Because of the severe and irreversible outcomes of vascular complications, treatment protocols for such complications are being investigated and updated actively. However, not much attention is paid to mild bruises that develop after filler injections. Simple observation is the treatment of choice for bruises in current filler complication protocols. In the present study, the possible effect of a pulsed-dye laser (PDL) on bruises is reported, with a case report of a female patient who received PDL treatment for a bruise that developed after a filler injection.

Effects of photobiomodulation therapy and topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug on skeletal muscle injury induced by contusion in rats-part 2: biochemical aspects.

Muscle injuries trigger an inflammatory process, releasing important biochemical markers for tissue regeneration. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is the treatment of choice to promote pain relief due to muscle injury. NSAIDs exhibit several adverse effects and their efficacy is questionable. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been demonstrated to effectively modulate inflammation induced from musculoskeletal disorders and may be used as an alternative to NSAIDs. Here, we assessed and compared the effects of different doses of PBMT and topical NSAIDs on biochemical parameters during an acute inflammatory process triggered by a controlled model of contusion-induced musculoskeletal injury in rats. Muscle injury was induced by trauma to the anterior tibial muscle of rats. After 1 h, rats were treated with PBMT (830 nm, continuous mode, 100 mW of power, 35.71 W/cm2; 1, 3, and 9 J; 10, 30, and 90 s) or diclofenac sodium (1 g). Our results demonstrated that PBMT, 1 J (35.7 J/cm2), 3 J (107.1 J/cm2), and 9 J (321.4 J/cm2) reduced the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) genes at all assessed times as compared to the injury and diclofenac groups (p < 0.05). The diclofenac group showed reduced levels of COX-2 only in relation to the injury group (p < 0.05). COX-2 protein expression remained unchanged with all therapies except with PBMT at a 3-J dose at 12 h (p < 0.05 compared to the injury group). In addition, PBMT (1, 3, and 9 J) effectively reduced levels of cytokines TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 at all assessed times as compared to the injury and diclofenac groups (p < 0.05). Thus, PBMT at a 3-J dose was more effective than other doses of PBMT and topical NSAIDs in the modulation of the inflammatory process caused by muscle contusion injuries.

810 nm Wavelength light: an effective therapy for transected or contused rat spinal cord.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Light therapy has biomodulatory effects on central and peripheral nervous tissue. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous system trauma with no effective restorative therapies. The effectiveness of light therapy on SCI caused by different types of trauma was determined. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two SCI models were used: a contusion model and a dorsal hemisection model. Light (810 nm) was applied transcutaneously at the lesion site immediately after injury and daily for 14 consecutive days. A laser diode with an output power of 150 mW was used for the treatment. The daily dosage at the surface of the skin overlying the lesion site was 1,589 J/cm(2) (0.3 cm(2) spot area, 2,997 seconds). Mini-ruby was used to label corticospinal tract axons, which were counted and measured from the lesion site distally. Functional recovery was assessed by footprint test for the hemisection model and open-field test for the contusion model. Rats were euthanized 3 weeks after injury. RESULTS: The average length of axonal re-growth in the rats in the light treatment (LT) groups with the hemisection (6.89+/-0.96 mm) and contusion (7.04+/-0.76 mm) injuries was significantly longer than the comparable untreated control groups (3.66+/-0.26 mm, hemisection; 2.89+/-0.84 mm, contusion). The total axon number in the LT groups was significantly higher compared to the untreated groups for both injury models (P<0.05). For the hemisection model, the LT group had a statistically significant lower angle of rotation (P<0.05) compared to the controls. For contusion model, there was a statistically significant functional recovery (P<0.05) in the LT group compared to untreated control. CONCLUSIONS: Light therapy applied non-invasively promotes axonal regeneration and functional recovery in acute SCI caused by different types of trauma. These results suggest that light is a promising therapy for human SCI.