The effectiveness of high-intensity laser therapy in individuals with neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The primary objective of this meta-analysis was to determine whether high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) was effective in improving pain intensity, cervical range of motion (ROM), functional activity, and quality of life (QOL) in individuals with neck pain. PubMed, PEDro, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to March 26, 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving HILT for neck pain were selected. Two raters were independent in data extraction. The methodological quality was evaluated using the PEDro scale, and the level of evidence was assessed using the GRADE system. RevMan5.4 was used for meta-analysis. Eight RCTs were included and their PEDro scores were moderate to high. Compared with placebo, HILT was effective in improving pain intensity (SMD 2.12, 95%CI 1.24 to 3.00; moderate quality evidence), cervical flexion (SMD 1.31, 95%CI 0.27 to 2.35; moderate quality evidence), extension (SMD 1.43, 95%CI 0.24 to 2.63; moderate quality evidence), right lateral flexion (SMD 1.36, 95%CI 0.15 to 2.56; low-quality evidence). There was a trend of better outcome in functional activity after HILT (SMD 1.73, 95%CI −0.05 to 3.54; low quality evidence). There was limited information available on QOL. HILT may be considered as an adjunctive treatment modality for neck pain. There was moderate quality evidence that HILT may improve pain intensity and cervical ROM in individuals with neck pain, but there was low quality evidence that HILT was not effective in improving functional activity. PROSPERO CRD42021254078 •HILT has the potential to improve pain intensity and cervical range of motion in the management of neck pain.•The effect of HILT in improving functional activity for individuals with neck pain is less pronounced•Evidence on the use of HILT in improving quality of life for individuals with neck pain is limited.