A new clinical trial published in the September edition of the “Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research” proved that high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) enhance recovery in long-term hemiparesis-affected people suffering from osteoporosis, with more favor to HILT. The study researchers, Tamer I. Abo Elyazed et al. conducted a randomized controlled trial on 140 hemiplegic patients with osteoporosis, dividing them into 3 equal groups.

The control arm was given standard medication and traditional physiotherapy designed for stroke sufferers. The HILT arm received the same interventions as the control group, along with HILT therapy. The shock wave (SW) arm was given the same interventions as the control group, along with shock wave therapy. All groups underwent 3 weekly sessions of therapy for a period of 12 weeks. Assessments were carried out before and after the therapy, focusing on pain levels, risk of falls and the quality of life.

The study revealed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the visual analog scale (VAS), with both the HILT and ESWT groups showing noteworthy improvement over the controls. However, no noteworthy difference was observed between the HILT and SW therapy groups. These groups demonstrated significant improvements in terms of quality of life (Quality of Life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis [QUALEFFO-41]) and overall stability (Short Form of Berg Balance Scale [SFBBS]) than the control group.

Notably, the HILT group outperformed the SW group in certain aspects, indicating the possible benefits of HILT for hemiparetic patients with bone-weakening disease.