Abstract
The rôle of low reactive-level laser therapy (LLLT) in intensive pain management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) was evaluated in 31 patients with PHN. Patients had severe and/or persistent pain, and were admitted to our inpatient clinic for intensive pain management. Patients received two LLLT sessions daily, each for 10- 20 min. Fifteen patients also received either epidural, stellate ganglion or brachial plexus block as needed. Some patients were prescribed antidepressant drugs. Pain relief scores (PS) were obtained weekly using a linear analogue scale (0-10 ) with a score of 10 before treatment. The mean hospital stay was 46 ± 22 days. The PS in most patients decreased to a satisfactory level by the third hospital week. The mean PS at the first, second, third hospital week, and at discharge were 7 ± 2; 5 ± 2; 4 ± 2; and 3 ± 2, respectively. Although there was no patient who had slight pain or was pain free before admission, there were 23 patients in these categories at the final assessment. Our results indicate that LLLT is effective in the reduction of the pain of PHN, and LLLT has an important rôle in the management of PHN in the pain clinic. The efficacy of LLLT sometimes becomes more prominent when sympathetic blocks and/or antidepressants are combined in a timely and appropriate fashion.
