Efficacy of High-Intensity Laser Therapy in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: A First Systematic Review

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Background: Due to increased number of randomized controlled trials evaluating efficiency of HILT in patients with knee OA, there was a need to present them in the form of systematic review. Methods: The search includes the databases as well as a manual search until August, 2017. The quality of the selected articles was determined in accordance with the revised guidelines of the CONSORT statement. Results: Six studies were included. Laser fluence ranged from 0.51 to 120 J/cm(2) for one treatment. The total energy transmitted during one treatment ranged from 1250 to 3000 J. All the selected studies found HILT to be beneficial in treatment of knee OA. Conclusions: HILT seems to be efficient in reducing pain and for providing functional improvements in patients with knee OA.