Phototherapy and peripheral nerve regeneration

Peripheral nerve trauma is a common occurrence that, in many cases, requires complex surgical reconstruction. Although functional recovery is possible also in case of severe lesions, the postoperative outcome of patients is often unsatisfactory. Therefore, the sought for effective clinical protocols to enhance nerve regeneration after surgical nerve repair is particularly important. Experimental research carried out over the last fifteen years have pointed to phototherapy as a very interesting rehabilitation approach for enhancing posttraumatic and postsurgical nerve recovery. The amount of data accumulated on the effectiveness of phototherapy on peripheral nerve regeneration make it possible to suggest that the time for clinical trials has come considering also the few known side effects related to the use of this type of physical therapy.