Effect of Low Level Laser Therapy (830 nm) With Different Therapy Regimes on the Process of Tissue Repair in Partial Lesion Calcaneous Tendon

Background and Objective: Calcaneous tendon is one of the most damaged tendons, and its healing may last from weeks to months to be completed. in the search after speeding tendon repair, low intensity laser therapy has shown favorable effect. To assess the effect of low intensity laser therapy on the process of tissue repair in calcaneous tendon after undergoing a partial lesion.Study Design/Materials and Methods: Experimentally controlled randomized single blind study. Sixty male rats were used randomly and were assigned to five groups containing 12 animals each one; 42 out of 60 underwent lesion caused by dropping a 186 g weight over their Achilles tendon from a 20 cm height. in Group 1 (standard control), animals did not suffer the lesion nor underwent laser therapy; in Group 2 (control), animals suffered the lesion but did not undergo laser therapy; in Groups 3, 4, and 5, animals suffered lesion and underwent laser therapy for 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively. Animals which suffered lesion were sacrificed on the 8th day after the lesion and assessed by polarization microscopy to analyze the degree of collagen fibers organization.Results: Both experimental and standard control Groups presented significant values when compared with the control Groups, and there was Do significant difference when Groups 1 and 4 were compared; the same occurred between Groups 3 and 5.Conclusion: Low intensity laser therapy was effective in the improvement of collagen fibers organization of the calcaneous tendon after undergoing a partial lesion. Lasers Surg. Med. 41:271-276, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Plastic Surgery Department of UNIFESPCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Plast Surg, BR-04024900 São Paulo, BrazilUniv Metodista Piracicaba, Dept Physiotherapy, BR-13400911 Piracicaba, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Physiotherapy, BR-13560 Sao Carlos, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Plast Surg, BR-04024900 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc