Assessment of biochemical markers of inflammation in subjects with knee osteoarthritis undergoing low-level laser therapy

Background: It is a common experience that elderly population suffer from degenerative joint disease known as osteoarthritis (OA). There are several biochemical markers that are altered in this low-grade inflammation of knee joint as in OA. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is known to be safe and effective methods in the management of pain and inflammation in knee OA. Aim and Objective: This study aims to study the serum biomarkers to assess the inflammatory status in subjects with knee OA undergoing LLLT. Materials and Methods: The study subjects were in the age group of 45–75 years who had clinically diagnosed knee OA. The LLLT (810 nm, 10 mW) was given to the subjects for a total duration of 3 months with a periodicity of 3 times a week. Serum osteocalcin and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) assay were done before and after therapy as well as in controls. Results: Mean PGE2 in the study subjects before the intervention and after laser therapy was 271.20 ± 128.30 pg/ml and 351.21 ± 98.92 pg/ml, respectively (P = 012). Mean osteocalcin (ng/ml) in the study subjects before the intervention and controls was 9.65 ± 7.90 ng/ml and 4.87 ± 3.23 ng/ml, respectively (P = 004). Conclusion: It can be concluded that LLLT had anti-inflammatory effects in subjects with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) as evident from significant increase in anti-inflammatory markers such as osteocalcin and PGE2.