The Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy and Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on Functional Recovery among Experimentally Induced Peripheral Nerve Injury in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Background: A variety of etiological factors that lead to peripheral nerve injury include crushing, traction, longfractures in bones, cutting injuries, entrapment neuropathies, infection, inflammation, and tumours of varyingdegrees. LIPUS has a variety of biological effects on tissues, including speeding up the regeneration of soft tissues,and lowering inflammatory reactions. In LLLT, low-level laser light with a wavelength of 808 nm is employed totrigger a biological reaction.Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the functional recovery of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) andlow-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) treating the sciatic nerve in rats.Methods: Using simple random sampling method and the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 rats in total werechosen. A mechanical crush will be performed for 30 seconds using haemostatic forceps. The study’s rats weredivided into 3 groups at random: Group A received ultrasound for 21 days; Group B received laser for 21 days;and Group C received no treatment. The toe spread assay was used to assess functional recovery 3 weeks aftersurgery. Result: All three groups are statistically significant (p<0.005) when analysed using one-way ANOVAduring intervention period (7th, 24th, 21st day) but LLLT & UST has shown better improvement in their functionalindex than the control group.Conclusion: According to the study’s findings, LLLT significantly outperforms LIPUS in improving the functionalrecovery of an experimentally induced rat model.