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

Abstract

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 < 0.001). During inter group comparison, Group1 showed a significant improvement during follow‐up at 4 weeks in terms of both pain intensity ( 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

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Physiotherapy Research International, 2026 · DOI ↗