Low-Level Laser Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease

Introduction: Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves.

Background: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the substantial nigra resulting in a reduction of stratal dopamine content. The exact mechanism is not well understood; however, several pathophysiologic mechanisms such as oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and and degradation of major intracellular proteins have been postulated to explain the progressive neuron loss. With histological evidence suggesting that laser therapy can repair oxidatively damaged cells and increase neuronal axonal transport, the objective of this non-controlled, non-randomized study was to evaluate the improvement of symptoms associated with late stage PD.

Method: Eight volunteers between 18 to 80 years with late stage PD participated in a non-controlled, non-randomized study. Participants received LLLT treatments (PL5000, manufactured by Erchonia Medical Inc.) daily for two weeks.

Results: Compared with baseline, all participants demonstrated a numerical improvement in the VAS from baseline to study endpoint. A statistically significant reduction in VAS rating for gait and cognitive function was observed with average mean change of -1.87 (p < 0.05) for gait and a mean reduction of -2.22 (p < 0.05) for cognitive function. Further, freezing and difficulty with speech ratings were significantly lower at study end point with a mean reduction of -1.28 (p < 0.05) for freezing and -2.22 (p<0.05) for difficulty with speech.       

Conclusions: This data suggests that laser therapy may serve as a non-invasive instrument for symptom reduction of Parkinson’s Disease.