Efficacy and safety of laser acupuncture on osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Wen X, Zhang G, Cui J, Tang Y, Meng Q, Su Y, An S, Sun S · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · 2025 January 08
DOI 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1462411
Objective
To investigate the effects of laser acupuncture on osteoarthritis through a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies.
Conclusions
The study concludes that laser acupuncture can improve knee pain and function in patients with osteoarthritis in the short term, with greater effects observed using lasers with a power greater than 100 milliwatts, a wavelength greater than 1,000 nanometers, and carbon dioxide or solid-state laser types.
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Insights
Laser acupuncture provides short-term relief of osteoarthritis pain and functional limitations, with higher-power, longer-wavelength lasers appearing most effective.
The authors systematically searched major medical databases for randomized controlled trials evaluating laser acupuncture for osteoarthritis up to late December 2023. They identified eleven eligible studies and combined their findings using meta-analytic methods, comparing laser acupuncture with placebo laser treatment and examining whether laser characteristics influenced outcomes.
Across the included studies, laser acupuncture improved pain, physical function, and stiffness compared with placebo treatment. Benefits were temporary and were no longer evident after eight weeks. Subgroup findings suggested that lasers with greater power and longer wavelengths, particularly carbon dioxide and solid-state laser devices, produced stronger improvements.
