Laser treatment for ankle sprains: What is the effectiveness? [La laser-terapia nel trattamento delle distorsioni di caviglia: qual è la reale efficacia?]

Aim. Ankle sprain is one of the most frequent articular injury. Guidelines in its management show the efficacy of RICE protocol (Rest, Compression, Ice, Elevation). Many orthopedics combine often this protocol with laser treatment. The available evidences in literature are controversial. Therefore the aim of this randomized and double-blinded study is to assess the real effect of laser treatment. Methods. Fifty-two patients have been divided in a sperimentai group (N.=28) and a control group (N.=24). The first group was treated with standard RICE protocol plus 10 sessions of laser treatment, while the second group was treated with standard RICE protocol plus 10 sessions of a placebo. We did clinical checks on the emergency time and after one, two and three weeks. We evaluated swelling, pain on weight-bearing and at palpation, time of morbidity and pain-killer assumption. Results have been statistically analyzed matching the averages with Student's t-test. Results. Control group parameters normalized in a shorter time than on the sperimentai group, about edema, pain at palpation and end of pain-killer assumption. In the sperimentai group the pain at weight-bearing normalized 0,24 weeks before the control group. In the sperimentai group the time of morbidity was 0,1 weeks shorter than in the control group. Differences observed were never statistically significative. Conclusion. We assessed that laser-treatment has no statistically significative evidences of efficacy in the management of acute ankle sprains.