SynthesisNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2026
The clinical impact of high intensity laser therapy on post stroke shoulder pain and dysfunction associated with hemiplegia: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
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Abstract
backgroundHemiplegic shoulder pain is one of the common complication post-strokes resulting in reduced upper limb function. Conventional treatment approaches remain inadequate for the pain management. High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) has gained attention as a promising treatment approach in various musculoskeletal and neurological conditions its effectiveness in hemiplegic patients has not been extensively evaluated.
objectiveTo thoroughly examine randomized controlled trials assessing how high-intensity laser therapy affects shoulder-related outcomes and pain in people who have hemiplegic shoulder pain after a stroke.
methodsThe 2020 PRISMA guidelines were followed in the search of the electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PEDro, and Cochrane Library). Randomized controlled trials with hemiplegic shoulder pain in adult stroke patients were taken into consideration. HILT was contrasted with therapeutic ultrasound and traditional physical therapy. Technique quality was evaluated using the PEDro scale, and bias risk was evaluated using the Cochrane RoB 2 assessment tool.
resultsThere were 222 participants in four randomized controlled trials. In every study, the HILT groups’ shoulder pain decreased considerably more than that of the control groups. Additionally, HILT was found to improve functional outcomes and shoulder range of motion. With some issues with blinding, PEDro scores ranged from 6 to 8, indicating moderate to high methodological quality.
conclusionAccording to available data, high-intensity laser therapy is a safe and effective addition to traditional rehabilitation for stroke patient’s hemiplegic shoulder pain and shoulder function. To improve clinical recommendations, larger trials with standardized treatment protocols and long-term follow-up are required.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.