High-intensity light therapy for post-interventional complications and pain after minimally invasive spinal procedures: a case series

High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) has improved postoperative outcomes by promoting faster recovery and analgesia. However, there is little evidence of its effectiveness in the context of recovery after minimally invasive spinal procedures. This case series analyzes the postoperative outcomes after minimally invasive spinal surgery by measuring pain, complications, and tissue oxygenation. Two cohorts of 16 patients, who were spinal surgery outpatients at MD Anderson Cancer Center, were separated into a HILT group and a control (no HILT) group. In the HILT group, pain levels and tissue oxygenation were assessed before and after each of two HILT sessions. The postoperative complications for each group were compared at each of the two follow-up visits. Tissue oxygenation levels were significantly higher after each HILT application at each visit, and pain was significantly reduced after each HILT application compared to before treatment. There was no significant difference observed in the postoperative complications between the control group and the HILT group. These results suggest that the use of HILT in the minimally invasive spinal intervention postoperative setting improves patient outcomes.