Laser Therapy and Osteoarthritis Disability: An Updated Snapshot Highlighting Highly Promising Cartilage Regeneration Associations
Keywords:
articular cartilage, efficacy, high intensity laser, inflammation, intervention, low-level laser therapy, osteoarthritis, phototherapy, regeneration, repair, tissue engineeringAbstract
Among the various non-pharmacological interventions shown to partially relieve painful disabling osteoarthritis, the most prevalent joint disease, laser therapy, initially reported as highly efficacious in Russia and Eastern Europe remains less well accepted in Western medicine contexts and especially as a salient and effective mobility restorative modality.
Building on prior research, the present 2020-2024 data review aimed to:
a) update the degree of support for continuing to research this topic, in general,
b) its cartilage regenerative/repair potential, commonly believed unachievable and tenable, in particular.
While not studied clinically to any degree, most experimental studies support a specific role for possible cartilage repair plus possible post-treatment improvements in symptoms associated with osteoarthritis, including pain, mobility, and function. Possible documented mechanisms for the observed results include the resolution or attenuation of pain and inflammation, enhanced cartilage tissue cell proliferation and increased matrix synthesis.
