Abstract

Aim. Low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent health condition that contributes to pain and fatigue in older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of laser acu-cupping in relieving chronic mechanical low back pain (MLBP) in elderly people. Materials and Methods. This study involved sixty elderly women suffering from persistent low-back mechanical pain (MLBP). They were age-varying (65-75). Two linked groups random allocations were made to the research group (A) and control group (B), assigned to patients. The first group (A) consisted of 30 patients who received 10 minutes of laser acu-cupping device software (laser wavelength: 650 nm, laser output: 5 mW ± 20%) on the back, plus 6 weeks of standard physiotherapy, 3 sessions per week. The second group (B) consisted of 30 patients who completed a conventional 20-30-minute physiotherapy program of 3 sessions each week for 6 weeks plus medical treatment. To assess the pain level, the level of cortisol was used and the pain intensity was determined by the visual analogue scale. To assess functional impairment, the Oswestry disability index was analyzed. Results. showed that there was a significant decrease in cortisol level, VAS and ODI post-treatment compared with that pre-treatment in both groups (p > 0.001) with favorable results in group A. The percent of decrease of cortisol level, VAS, and ODI in the study group were 41.07, 60.84, and 37.69% respectively and that in the control group were 20.71, 37.52, and 16.31% respectively. Conclusions. Laser acu-cupping and conventional physiotherapy effectively reduced pain and inflammation in chronic mechanical LBP more than conventional physiotherapy alone.

Key words:

Cortisol Level, Visual Analogue Scale, Oswestry Disability Index