Terapia de fotobiomodulação em desordens musculoesqueléticas: revisão da literatura e ensaio controlado aleatorizado

Abstract

Among the most common reasons for seeking medical consultations, pain is the main one in countries like the United States, with musculoskeletal pain being the main reason for workers and students to leave their jobs. One in three Americans suffer from chronic pain. So, in the United States, spending on pain exceeds US$560 billion, having reached the mark of US$635 billion in 2012. The use of opioids points to a scenario of excessive medication use. The main risks surrounding indiscriminate medication use are its side effects. However, efforts in the field of research have been focusing on the development of non-pharmacological solutions to control pain. Low back pain (LBP) is a very prevalent health condition and is highly associated with disability worldwide. In most cases the origin remains unidentified and the term non-specific low back pain is used. However, there is evidence that patients with non-specific LBP may have impairments in the control of postural muscles. In this way, motor control exercises may be an interesting alternative in the treatment of patients with non-specific LBP and its association with photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) may potentiate its benefits, since PBMT has ergogenic effects. With these factors in mind, the aim of this project is to evaluate the ergogenic effects of PBMT when associated to motor control exercises in patients with chronic non-specific LBP. A randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial they were performed. One hundred forty-eight patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to two intervention groups. They were evaluated clinical (pain intensity and general disability) and biochemical (levels of prostaglandin E2) outcomes. Clinical outcomes will be evaluated after the end of the treatment, one month after the end of treatment, 3, 6 and 12 months after randomization and the biochemical outcomes will be evaluated only after the end of treatment.