{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,28]],"date-time":"2026-10-28T18:47:20Z","timestamp":1793213240373,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"10","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2019,9,17]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is not recommended in major knee osteoarthritis (KOA) treatment guidelines. We investigated whether a LLLT dose\u2013response relationship exists in KOA.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Systematic review and meta-analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Data sources<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Eligible articles were identified through PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Physiotherapy Evidence Database and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials on 18 February 2019, reference lists, a book, citations and experts in the field.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Eligibility criteria for selecting studies<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We solely included randomised placebo-controlled trials involving participants with KOA according to the American College of Rheumatology and\/or Kellgren\/Lawrence criteria, in which LLLT was applied to participants\u2019 knee(s). There were no language restrictions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Data extraction and synthesis<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The included trials were synthesised with random effects meta-analyses and subgrouped by dose using the World Association for Laser Therapy treatment recommendations. Cochrane\u2019s risk-of-bias tool was used.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>22 trials (n=1063) were meta-analysed. Risk of bias was insignificant. Overall, pain was significantly reduced by LLLT compared with placebo at the end of therapy (14.23 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS; 95% CI 7.31 to 21.14)) and during follow-ups 1\u201312 weeks later (15.92 mm VAS (95% CI 6.47 to 25.37)). The subgroup analysis revealed that pain was significantly reduced by the recommended LLLT doses compared with placebo at the end of therapy (18.71 mm (95% CI 9.42 to 27.99)) and during follow-ups 2\u201312 weeks after the end of therapy (23.23 mm VAS (95% CI 10.60 to 35.86)). The pain reduction from the recommended LLLT doses peaked during follow-ups 2\u20134 weeks after the end of therapy (31.87 mm VAS significantly beyond placebo (95% CI 18.18 to 45.56)). Disability was also statistically significantly reduced by LLLT. No adverse events were reported.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>LLLT reduces pain and disability in KOA at 4\u20138 J with 785\u2013860 nm wavelength and at 1\u20133 J with 904 nm wavelength per treatment spot.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>PROSPERO registration number<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>CRD42016035587.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2019-031142","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,29]],"date-time":"2019-10-29T06:53:54Z","timestamp":1572332034000},"page":"e031142","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":152,"title":["Efficacy of low-level laser therapy on pain and disability in knee osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9869-0705","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martin Bj\u00f8rn","family":"Stausholm","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ingvill Fjell","family":"Naterstad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jon","family":"Joensen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rodrigo \u00c1lvaro Brand\u00e3o","family":"Lopes-Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento, Universidade do Vale do Para\u00edba, S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 dos Campos, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Humaira","family":"S\u00e6b\u00f8","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hans","family":"Lund","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Evidence-Based Practice, Hogskulen pa Vestlandet, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kjartan Vibe","family":"Fersum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jan Magnus","family":"Bjordal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025120618383609000_9.10.e031142.1","first-page":"205","article-title":"Knee osteoarthritis prevalence, risk factors, pathogenesis and features: Part I","volume":"2","author":"Heidari","year":"2011","journal-title":"Caspian J Intern Med"},{"key":"2025120618383609000_9.10.e031142.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2012.11.012"},{"key":"2025120618383609000_9.10.e031142.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bartels EM , Juhl CB , Christensen R , et al . 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