Temperature Controlled High Energy Adjustable Multi-Mode Emission Laser Therapy in the Treatment of the Chronic Low Back Pain

Temperature controlled high energy adjustable multi-mode emission laser therapy (THEAL) is a new physiotherapy method recently introduced in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The first published clinical trials show an excellent clinical response in the treatment oflow back pain (LBP). In view of various protocol modulation modes, we wanted to verify the effect of a protocol that provided contextual administration of different wavelengths. We administered to twenty patients a treatment that consisted of ten sessions of Temperature controlled High Energy Adjustable multi-mode emission Laser therapy (THEAL) (iLux XP/ Ixyon, Mectronic Medicale, Italy), with the simultaneous delivery of 650nm, 810nm and 1064nm wavelengths. The patients have been monitored during different follow-ups(FUs)to check the remission of pain, using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, Roland Score for functional recovery with and OswestryScore for regression of disability. Already at the end of the treatment after 10 days, and at subsequent FUs time at 1, 2, 4 and 12 months, a significant improvement was noticed for all these scores. These clinical results are consistent with the expected biological effects for each wavelengththat we have administered. The 810nm has a strong affinity for modulating no receptive pain, 650nm wavelengths have a marked anti-inflammatory effect and 1064nm has a decontracting action on muscles. The possibility to use a High Energy Laser with adaptive modulating emission and thermal control of biological tissue (THEAL) allows an optimized energy delivery with good local compliance. The concomitant administration of these wavelengths would therefore enable action on the various pathogenic noxa: radicular pain, local inflammation and reactive muscle response.