Low level laser therapy (LLLT) offers promising symptomatic relief of osteoarthritic (OA) pain. We examined efficacy of active LLLT versus sham LLLT on finger joints and three superficial nerves.
OA-patients randomly assigned, received three treatments per week for 6 weeks of LLLT (n = 42) or sham LLLT (n = 46).
Pain relief, morning stiffness, and functional status did not significantly improve for LLLT versus placebo. No significant differences were found in finger range of motion, except carpometacarpal opposition (P = 0.011), grip strength, and patient global assessment which improved for active LLLT participants (P = 0.041).
LLLT is no better than placebo at reducing pain, morning stiffness, or improving functional status for OA-hand patients.