The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review
Context: Spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) is a condition characterized by muscle stiffness and involuntary movements, which greatly affect movement abilities and overall well-being. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has emerged as a treatment option for managing spasticity, though the current evidence vari...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Brain Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/12/1179 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846105504624934912 |
|---|---|
| author | Amalio Jiménez Frederick R. Carrick Norman Hoffman Monèm Jemni |
| author_facet | Amalio Jiménez Frederick R. Carrick Norman Hoffman Monèm Jemni |
| author_sort | Amalio Jiménez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Context: Spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) is a condition characterized by muscle stiffness and involuntary movements, which greatly affect movement abilities and overall well-being. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has emerged as a treatment option for managing spasticity, though the current evidence varies. Objective: This systematic review seeks to assess the efficacy of LLLT on spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. We hope it will pinpoint areas where more research is needed and suggest directions for future studies. Method: A search of the literature was performed across databases, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Elicit. The search utilized keywords and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. Only studies conducted in English that focused on children with cerebral palsy (CP) and explored the effects of LLLT on spasticity were considered. The quality of the selected studies was evaluated using assessment tools. Results: The search identified 534 references, out of which eight studies met the screening criteria for inclusion. All cited papers indicated reductions in spasticity with further mention of reduced pain and greater muscle strength by some authors. Conclusions: This review indicates that LLLT shows promise in decreasing spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Nevertheless, a lack of treatment parameters, heterogeneity in research methods, and a lack of objective outcome measures weaken the results. This review underscores the importance of standardized procedures and carefully planned randomized controlled trials to establish conclusive findings on the effectiveness of LLLT in this population. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-89cba6265fb64501abdf3b0fa2cfcb47 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-89cba6265fb64501abdf3b0fa2cfcb472024-12-27T14:14:42ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252024-11-011412117910.3390/brainsci14121179The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic ReviewAmalio Jiménez0Frederick R. Carrick1Norman Hoffman2Monèm Jemni3The Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920, USAThe Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920, USAThe Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920, USAThe Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920, USAContext: Spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) is a condition characterized by muscle stiffness and involuntary movements, which greatly affect movement abilities and overall well-being. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has emerged as a treatment option for managing spasticity, though the current evidence varies. Objective: This systematic review seeks to assess the efficacy of LLLT on spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. We hope it will pinpoint areas where more research is needed and suggest directions for future studies. Method: A search of the literature was performed across databases, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Elicit. The search utilized keywords and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. Only studies conducted in English that focused on children with cerebral palsy (CP) and explored the effects of LLLT on spasticity were considered. The quality of the selected studies was evaluated using assessment tools. Results: The search identified 534 references, out of which eight studies met the screening criteria for inclusion. All cited papers indicated reductions in spasticity with further mention of reduced pain and greater muscle strength by some authors. Conclusions: This review indicates that LLLT shows promise in decreasing spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Nevertheless, a lack of treatment parameters, heterogeneity in research methods, and a lack of objective outcome measures weaken the results. This review underscores the importance of standardized procedures and carefully planned randomized controlled trials to establish conclusive findings on the effectiveness of LLLT in this population.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/12/1179low-level laser therapyspasticitycerebral palsychildren |
| spellingShingle | Amalio Jiménez Frederick R. Carrick Norman Hoffman Monèm Jemni The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review Brain Sciences low-level laser therapy spasticity cerebral palsy children |
| title | The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | The Impact of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Spasticity in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | impact of low level laser therapy on spasticity in children with spastic cerebral palsy a systematic review |
| topic | low-level laser therapy spasticity cerebral palsy children |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/12/1179 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amaliojimenez theimpactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview AT frederickrcarrick theimpactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview AT normanhoffman theimpactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview AT monemjemni theimpactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview AT amaliojimenez impactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview AT frederickrcarrick impactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview AT normanhoffman impactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview AT monemjemni impactoflowlevellasertherapyonspasticityinchildrenwithspasticcerebralpalsyasystematicreview |