Light Therapy for the Treatment of Back Pain in Pilots (LLL&Pilots)

Background: Lumbar spine disorders are common conditions in pilots of various aircraft with etiology related to sub-optimal ergonomics, exposure to G-forces, the weight of the head gear and exposure to extensive vibrations. Current treatments include physiotherapy and chiropractic manipulations. Low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) is a non-ionizing, non-thermal irradiation within the visible to near infrared range of the light spectrum. LLLI has been used widely for alleviation of pain in inflammatory processes and acceleration of wound healing. A variety of clinical studies show that LLLT in the near infrared range may be useful in the treatment of back pain.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Light Therapy for treatment of back pain in pilots.

Study design: Prospective, randomized, controlled double blind. Volunteers will receive biweekly physiotherapy treatment for 3 weeks. In addition to the physiotherapy treatment, half the volunteers will receive light therapy and half sham irradiation. Study evaluations will include physical examination by an orthopedic surgeon, subjective pain level by visual analogue scale, validated low back functional questionnaires, a generic functional questionnaire, and patient satisfaction scores. Volunteers will be invited for evaluations at 1 and 3 months after the final treatment.

Inclusion criteria

• Pilot (current)
• Level of pain - moderate to severe low back pain (≥40 on the pain VAS)

Exclusion criteria

• Low back pain due to non-traumatic etiological causes (infection, tumor, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, fracture, inflammatory process, cauda equinal syndrome).
• Pregnant
• Recent (up to 1 year) history of trauma
• Current chronic pain other than low back pain
• Physical disability that prevents the patient to lie down/get up