gaurav1987
Gaurav Garg
Back pain is being combated using infrared therapy, which is giving a significant reduction in symptoms.
A device that generates infrared – similar to the type of light used by soldiers to track targets – has been used to tackle low-back pain in patients who had been having symptoms for more than six years.
“Infrared therapy was demonstrated to be effective in reducing chronic low-back pain, and no adverse effects were
observed,” say pain specialists at the Rothbart Pain Management Clinic in Ontario, Canada, who carried out the trial.
Back pain is a major health problem.
It has been estimated that six out of ten people will suffer low-back pain at some time in their lives.
Infra-red light has a range of wavelengths and each has a different use. It is used to heat infra-red saunas as an alternative to steam: it is claimed that the heat penetrates 1.5 inches under the skin and that it is an effective therapy for arthritis.
Infra-red is also used to cook food, by the military for homing-in on targets, and for studying space.
In the new clinical trial, doctors used a device that produced low-level infra-red for pain relief. In the trial, 40 patients who had suffered with chronic low-back pain that had not responded to other treatments were given either an active or inactive (dummy) form of the treatment.
The infra-red therapy was provided by two small, portable generator units powered by rechargeable batteries and mounted in a waistband. The units convert electricity to infra-red energy.
The belt is then worn over the painful back area. The treated group received infra-red therapy, while the placebo group had identical units and belts, but the power was not connected.
Patients had one session of therapy a week for seven weeks, and pain levels were recorded before and after the treatment. Pain was assessed overall, and also while the patient turned and bent in different directions.
Results show that symptom levels more than halved in the patients who had the active treatment, from a score of seven out of ten to three. At the end of the trial, symptoms in the placebo group were twice the level of the active group.
“This study is a very interesting evaluation of an unusual approach to low-back pain,’ said a spokesman for UK’s Arthritis Research Campaign. “The significant benefits of infra-red are surprising when considering the patients had long-standing problems. However, we need a bigger trial with more patients before firm conclusions can be drawn.”
How it works
Just how infra-red could work is not clear. One theory is that it may have a stimulating or blocking effect on the nerves carrying pain signals between the back and brain.
Research at the University of Ghent suggests that it may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Scientists found that the speed at which the nerve signals travelled diminished when the skin was exposed to infra-red.
At the University of Bergen in Norway, researchers have used infra-red – of a wavelength similar to that used in the Canadian study – on patients with tendonitis of the Achilles tendon.
Results showed that after treatment there was improved blood flow and a drop in compounds that are related to blood pressure and inflammation.
The researchers say that the therapy may be useful in the treatment of a number of diseases where inflammation is involved.
A device that generates infrared – similar to the type of light used by soldiers to track targets – has been used to tackle low-back pain in patients who had been having symptoms for more than six years.
“Infrared therapy was demonstrated to be effective in reducing chronic low-back pain, and no adverse effects were
observed,” say pain specialists at the Rothbart Pain Management Clinic in Ontario, Canada, who carried out the trial.
Back pain is a major health problem.
It has been estimated that six out of ten people will suffer low-back pain at some time in their lives.
Infra-red light has a range of wavelengths and each has a different use. It is used to heat infra-red saunas as an alternative to steam: it is claimed that the heat penetrates 1.5 inches under the skin and that it is an effective therapy for arthritis.
Infra-red is also used to cook food, by the military for homing-in on targets, and for studying space.
In the new clinical trial, doctors used a device that produced low-level infra-red for pain relief. In the trial, 40 patients who had suffered with chronic low-back pain that had not responded to other treatments were given either an active or inactive (dummy) form of the treatment.
The infra-red therapy was provided by two small, portable generator units powered by rechargeable batteries and mounted in a waistband. The units convert electricity to infra-red energy.
The belt is then worn over the painful back area. The treated group received infra-red therapy, while the placebo group had identical units and belts, but the power was not connected.
Patients had one session of therapy a week for seven weeks, and pain levels were recorded before and after the treatment. Pain was assessed overall, and also while the patient turned and bent in different directions.
Results show that symptom levels more than halved in the patients who had the active treatment, from a score of seven out of ten to three. At the end of the trial, symptoms in the placebo group were twice the level of the active group.
“This study is a very interesting evaluation of an unusual approach to low-back pain,’ said a spokesman for UK’s Arthritis Research Campaign. “The significant benefits of infra-red are surprising when considering the patients had long-standing problems. However, we need a bigger trial with more patients before firm conclusions can be drawn.”
How it works
Just how infra-red could work is not clear. One theory is that it may have a stimulating or blocking effect on the nerves carrying pain signals between the back and brain.
Research at the University of Ghent suggests that it may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Scientists found that the speed at which the nerve signals travelled diminished when the skin was exposed to infra-red.
At the University of Bergen in Norway, researchers have used infra-red – of a wavelength similar to that used in the Canadian study – on patients with tendonitis of the Achilles tendon.
Results showed that after treatment there was improved blood flow and a drop in compounds that are related to blood pressure and inflammation.
The researchers say that the therapy may be useful in the treatment of a number of diseases where inflammation is involved.