Effectiveness of 780 nm photobiomodulation as adjunct treatment for bone exposed fractures: A pilot study on radiograph, pain, and cytokines analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation with a 780 nm laser as an adjunct to surgical treatment in the regeneration of bone fractures. Twenty patients diagnosed with open fractures in the lower limbs were selected and randomly divided into two groups: control and LLLT. LLLT parameter: 780 nm, 0.04 cm² of light beam diameter, 40 mW of power, 10 s per point, 0.4 J of energy, fluence of 10 J/cm² and irradiance of 1 W/cm². The evaluated data were: pain, using McGill scale, use of analgesics and anti-inflammatories, levels of cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-10, and IL-17, and bone level regeneration. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests (5%). We can conclude that LLLT was effective as an adjuvant in the bone fracture regeneration process, altered IL-1β levels, reduced the use of analgesics and anti-inflammatories, reducing the pain pattern throughout the sessions.

Keywords: biostimulation; bone fractures; bone regeneration.