Cochrane · systematic review · CD012765
Low‐level laser therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome
Rankin, IA, Sargeant, H, Rehman, H, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2017 · Cochrane Library
NeuromuscularAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
30
current version
GRADE rated
17
No studies
13
Included studies
NR
No studies 13 · 43.3%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 17 · 56.7%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Low‐level laser therapy compared to placebo for carpal tunnel syndrome
Population: carpal tunnel syndrome
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 327 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: long term Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 25 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 159 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: long term Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 25 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Adverse events Low‐level laser therapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Low‐level laser therapy compared to ultrasound for carpal tunnel syndrome
Population: carpal tunnel syndrome
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs ultrasound | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 127 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: long term Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs ultrasound | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 27 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs ultrasound | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 127 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: long term Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs ultrasound | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 27 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Adverse events Low‐level laser therapy vs ultrasound | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Low‐level laser therapy compared to fascial manipulation for carpal tunnel syndrome
Population: carpal tunnel syndrome
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs fascial manipulation | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 70 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS:SSS: long term ‐ not reported Low‐level laser therapy vs fascial manipulation | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy vs fascial manipulation | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 70 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: long term Low‐level laser therapy vs fascial manipulation | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events Low‐level laser therapy vs fascial manipulation | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Low‐level laser therapy and a splint compared to ultrasound and a splint for carpal tunnel syndrome
Population: carpal tunnel syndrome
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall improvement in CTS:SSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs ultrasound and a splint | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 66 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS:SSS: long term ‐ not measured Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs ultrasound and a splint | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs ultrasound and a splint | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 66 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: long term ‐ not reported Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs ultrasound and a splint | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs ultrasound and a splint | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Low‐level laser therapy and a splint compared to placebo and a splint for carpal tunnel syndrome
Population: carpal tunnel syndrome
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs placebo and a splint | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 112 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: long term ‐ not measured Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs placebo and a splint | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale from: 1 to 5 Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs placebo and a splint | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 112 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: long term ‐ not measured Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs placebo and a splint | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events Low‐level laser therapy and a splint vs placebo and a splint | RR 2 [0.38, 10.48] | 1 study · 112 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Low‐level laser therapy, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 compared to placebo, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 for carpal tunnel syndrome
Population: carpal tunnel syndrome
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale unknown Low‐level laser therapy, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 vs placebo, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 33 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: SSS: long term ‐ not measured Low‐level laser therapy, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 vs placebo, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: short term (< 3 months) Scale not known Low‐level laser therapy, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 vs placebo, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 33 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, publication bias |
Overall improvement in CTS: FSS: long term ‐ not reported Low‐level laser therapy, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 vs placebo, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events Low‐level laser therapy, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 vs placebo, wrist splint, and vitamin B6 | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |