Low-Level Laser Therapy Versus Mirror Therapy for Post-Stroke Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Abstract

Background Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 (CRPS-I) following stroke has been managed by several conservative methods to date. But the efficacy of Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) was never compared with the Mirror therapy (MT) in these cases. Aim and objective To compare the efficacy of LLLT versus MT in post-stroke CRPS-I. Material and methods This comparative interventional study (Trial registration number: CTRI/2025/05/086943) was initially conducted with 47 patients with post-stroke CRPS-I after considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After obtaining informed consent, they were randomly divided into two groups. Along with kinesiotherapy in both the groups, LLLT was administered for Group 1 and MT for Group 2. Intensity of pain was measured by the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) was used for assessing sensorimotor recovery. All the variables were measured at the baseline, 4 weeks/visit 2, 8 weeks/visit 3 and 12 weeks/visit 4. A total of 44 cases (22 in each group) were analysed, as there were 3 dropouts on subsequent follow-ups. Results Intra-group analysis showed significant improvement in both the parameters during all the follow-ups (p adj = 0.039) and sensorimotor recovery (P adj = 0.022), but subsequent follow-up visits showed no significant difference between the groups (P adj > 0.05). Conclusion LLLT demonstrated an early between-group advantage over MT at 4 weeks in pain reduction and sensorimotor recovery in post-stroke CRPS-I. However, in the long run, no overall between-group superiority was noted, as both groups achieved comparable outcomes. Trial registration Institutional Scientific and Ethics committee (Reg. No: ECINEW/INST/2023/1862) approval no: NRSMC/IEC/149/2024.Trial Reg. no of this study under Clinical Trials Registry-India: CTRI/2025/05/086943.