Role of Low-Level Laser Therapy as an Adjuvant in Functional Rehabilitation of Patients with Joint Stiffness in Post-Burn Contracture

Abstract

Introduction Post-burn contracture is a known sequelae of burn injuries involving neck, axilla, elbow, and hand. There are many methods which are used as adjuvant in rehabilitation of post-burn contracture patients. The low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is one of the methods that can be used as an adjuvant in rehabilitation of joint stiffness following burns and but with very few data available from India. In this article we share our experience of using LLLT for functional rehabilitation of a patient with joint stiffness following postburn contracture. Materials and Methods This study was conducted in a burns centre in a tertiary care institute in South India. Informed consent and departmental ethical committee clearance were obtained prior to study. The subject was a young boy with no known co-morbidities with stiffness of metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint of index and middle finger of right hand. Patient was treated with contracture release with full thickness skin graft. The patient received low-level laser therapy to induce collagenolysis and to increase the movement of the joints. Each joint received laser therapy for duration of 125-second every time for 15-minutes for 2 sessions in a span of 4-days. Result LLLT has been found to be useful in early rehabilitation of post-burn contracture patients with joint stiffness. No side effects were observed during the study. Conclusion The LLLT is an effective, safe, and non-invasive adjuvant in functional rehabilitation of our patient with joint stiffness following post-burn contracture. We suggest further study including multiple subjects and a control group for validation of the result.