Comparison of the efficacy of high-intensity laser therapy and low-level laser therapy in carpal tunnel syndrome: A randomized-controlled study.

Study Summary

63 patients with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) involving 114 hands were randomized to receive high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) plus wrist splinting, low-level laser therapy (LLLT) plus wrist splinting, or wrist splinting alone. Both laser treatments were administered over 10 sessions on alternate days, while all patients wore neutral wrist splints for at least 8 hours nightly for 3 months. The outcomes of interest included symptom severity measured using the Boston Symptom Severity Scale (BSSS), functional capacity measured using the Boston Functional Capacity Scale (BFCS), electrophysiological parameters assessed using electroneuromyography (EMG), and ultrasonographic measurements of median nerve cross-sectional area and flattening ratio. The authors did not explicitly designate a single primary outcome. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Overall, the results of the study revealed greater improvements in clinical symptoms, functional capacity, selected nerve conduction parameters, and median nerve cross-sectional area with both laser treatments compared with splinting alone, without significant differences between HILT and LLLT. These findings suggested that either laser modality may provide additional short-term benefits when combined with wrist splinting in patients with mild-to-moderate CTS.