Physiotherapist shows lasers relieve pain

17 Jun 2002

A physiotherapist at Royal Brisbane Hospital (Australia) recently received a PhD from the University of Queensland for demonstrating that laser treatment prompts the release of endorphins into the bloodstream, according to PennWell Publishing's Laser Reports. Endorphins are a type of natural morphine that dulls pain. Physiotherapist Liisa Laakso studied the effects of lasers on 56 people who suffered myofascial pain syndrome, a chronic hypersensitivity often secondary to a person's primary painful affliction, such as arthritis. Previous experiments linking endorphin release and lasers have only been done on rats.

In the study, Laakso applied different doses and wavelengths of a laser diode to "trigger points" on the body and took blood samples measuring endorphin levels in these subjects and a control group. The control group reported some pain relief--most likely a placebo effect--but endorphins were present. Those patients that underwent laser treatment reported pain reduction of up to 78%, and endorphins were present in their blood.The results of Laakso's research have been published in the Journal of Laser Therapy.