The Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Wound Healing and Pain Management in Skin Wounds: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials.
PubMed 39610644 · doi:10.7759/cureus.72542
What was done
The authors conducted a PRISMA-guided systematic review and meta-analysis of electronic databases to evaluate low-level laser therapy (LLLT) versus non-LLLT controls for skin wound management. Eighteen randomized controlled trials encompassing 670 skin wounds were included. Primary outcomes evaluated were percentage reduction in wound size and rate of complete wound healing. Secondary outcomes included pain assessed via visual analogue scale (VAS) and perineal pain scores for episiotomy wounds.
What was found
LLLT significantly improved percentage reduction in wound size compared to controls (95% CI: 13.93 to 37.70, p < 0.0001; point estimate not specified in the abstract). The rate of complete wound healing was also significantly higher with LLLT (95% CI: 2.32 to 16.70, p = 0.0003). Post-treatment VAS pain scores were significantly lower in the LLLT group (95% CI: -2.52 to -0.19, p = 0.02). Numerical results for perineal pain scores were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes randomized controlled trial data indicating that non-invasive photobiomodulation with LLLT accelerates skin wound closure and reduces wound-associated pain.
Limits
The abstract omits effect point estimates and specific statistical metrics (e.g., mean differences or risk ratios) for the healing outcomes. Total sample size across 18 trials is small (averaging ~37 wounds per trial), laser dosing parameters and wound etiologies are not specified in the abstract, and the authors note that higher-quality trials are needed.
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