Evaluation of the Efficiency of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Female Patients with Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study

Objective: In this study, it is aimed to determine the efficacy of Low-level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in the treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS), and to evaluate the effects of LLLT on depression, anxiety and quality of life. Material and Method: Female CPPS were included in the study. LLLT was applied to the first group, and placebo (sham operation) was applied to the second group. Patients were evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), McGill Melzack Pain Questionnaire (MMPQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and 36- Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), before the treatment, at the end of treatment, and 8 weeks after randomization. Results: The patients included in the treatment group (n = 11) and in the placebo group (n = 8) were calculated as 38.91 ± 5.20 and 37.25 ± 6.34, respectively. In the treatment group, a significant difference was found between the pre-treatment (VASPre-T) and end of treatment (VASPost-T) pain values and between pre-treatment (VASPre-T) pain values and pain values measured 8 weeks after randomization (VAS8th-week) (p: 0.003, p: 0.003). Additionally, a significant improvement in MMPQ scores was also found in the treatment group. (p: 0.037 and p: 0.008 respectively). When the MMPQ and BDI values in both groups were compared, there was no difference (p>0.05). Furthermore, it was observed that the level of anxiety (BAI) decreased at the end of the treatment, although not significantly, in the placebo group (p: 0.12), Additionally, significant improvements were observed in terms of SF-36 quality of life scale sub-scores. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that LLLT, a simple, non-invasive, inexpensive and safe treatment method, can be useful in the treatment of CPPS. Yet, large-scale multi-center studies are needed to support the positive results found in favor of LLLT in this study.