Ringing in the Ears? Laser Therapy may be the Answer

Image credit: Dylann Hendricks via Unsplash

Those suffering from tinnitus will be all ears to this latest research, which showed low-level laser therapy to be a top treatment option for the often-debilitating condition.

Recently published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine, the study compared the main therapies currently in use – with low-level laser therapy and associated photobiomodulation deemed the most effective.

Across a four-week period, over 100 patients aged 18 to 65 underwent alternative and complementary treatments for idiopathic (that is, no apparent cause) and refractory tinnitus. Those treated with approaches known as laser acupuncture or transmeatal low-power laser stimulation alone recorded the best outcomes.

“The positive effects include anti-inflammatory action and relaxation. We believe laser therapy can increase peripheral irrigation, which may be the main cause of the problem in many cases, as well as stimulating inner ear cell proliferation and collagen production,” said study co-author, Vitor Panhóca in a press statement.

“Understanding how successful therapies work will help us focus on the most productive approaches in forthcoming studies.”

For further information, check out the full journal article.