Abstract

Introduction. Infrared thermography is a non-invasive physiological test that since 1990 was recognized as a diagnostic tool by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The method is based on the identification and the quantification of coetaneous thermal asymmetry. Several studies were conducted in time, showing thermographic variations in some soft tissue conditions.
Objectives. This study compares the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of classical laser therapy and multi-wave locked system (MLS) laser therapy by following the evolution of differences in temperature between the affected area and the unaffected controlateral area and the evolution of pain measured by visual analog scale (VAS).
Material and method. I divided the patients in the study into two groups: a group of patients received classic laser therapy and a group of patients received MLS laser therapy. Results. In both group, the evolution of studied parameters (pain measured by visual analog scale and thermal gradient) demonstrate the efficiency of laser therapy in treating bursitis, yet the decrease of differences in temperature and of VAS score was steeper in the group under MLS therapy, the dissimilarity between the groups being relevant statistically.
Conclusions. Laser therapy demonstrate both an analgesic (evidenced by the relieve pain) and anti-inflammatory effect (evidenced by reduction of the thermal gradient) for bursitis affecting superficial bursae and the difference between this two types of laser therapy are statistically significant (MLS therapy has a greater analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect compared with low level laser therapy).