Severe burns can decrease pulmonary function and impair aerobic capacity persisting for long times post injury. Low level laser therapy is a new modality used to improve aerobic capacity, enhance exercise performance, increase time until fatigue when used prior to aerobic exercises. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of pre- exercise low level laser therapy on aerobic capacity in burned patients.
Low level laser therapy has a beneficial therapeutic effect on promoting aerobic capacity, improving maximum oxygen consumption and increasing treadmill time when preceding aerobic exercise training.This study was conducted to determine the effects of pre- exercise low level laser therapy on aerobic capacity in burned patients. Low level laser therapy was applied to the study group for 12 weeks before aerobic exercises, three sessions / week, while control group received 12 weeks of aerobic exercises, three times weekly. Patients in both groups were received the traditional physical therapy program as a routine treatment. Aerobic capacity was assessed by measuring maximum oxygen consumption and time to exhaustion at baseline and after twelve weeks of interventions for both groups.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
60
Low level laser therapy was applied immediately before each aerobic exercise training session by using a multidiode cluster (with four diode spots; Polaris2, manufactured by Astar ABR, Poland) )on 12 sites on the lower limb (6 on quadriceps ( 2 centrally on rectus femoris and vastus intermedius,2 laterally on vastus lateralis, and two medially on vastus medialis), 4 on hamstrings and 2 on gastrocnemius) with the following parameters: 808 nm, continous output, 200 mW each diode (total of 800 mW) power output, 24 J energy on each site (6 J for each spot) , 40 seconds at each site (8 minutes of total treatment time in lower limb) and 288 J total energy delivered per lower limb, 48 irradiation points per lower limb ,3 sessions weekly for 12 weeks.
Aerobic exercise program consisted of walking on the treadmill at a rate of 3 sessions/week for 12 weeks, with each session lasting for 40 minutes in the form of warming up for 5 minutes at intensity of \<50% of the previously determined VO2max of each participant, 30 minutes of treadmill exercises at intensity of (70-85%) of the previously determined VO2max of each participant then 5 minutes cooling down at intensity of\<50% of the previously determined VO2max of each participant.
Cairo University
Cairo, Egypt
Aerobic capacity was assessed by measuring maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max)
Aerobic capacity was evaluated by measuring VO2max during a Graded Exercise Test (GXT) performed on a treadmill using the modified Bruce protocol before the treatment and after 12 weeks of treatment for both groups.The Bruce protocol required subjects to walk at progressively higher workloads, with the treadmill speed and the inclination were increased incrementally every 3 minutes until it was no longer possible for the participant to continue. During GXT, participants breathed through a face mask which was linked to a calibrated expired gas analysis system (UltimaTM Series, Cardiorespiratory Diagnostic systems),MED GRAPHICSTM, St. Paul, Minnesota ,USA. Expired gas passed through a flowmeter, oxygen and carbon dioxide analyzers which were connected to a computer, which measured oxygen uptake.The sum of the 4 highest successive 15 s VO2 values was recorded as VO2max of the participants.
Time frame: 12 weeks
Time to exhaustion (Treadmill time)
Time to exhaustion (Treadmill time) was measured by calculating the maximum time that the patient could walk on the treadmill.
Time frame: 12 weeks
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Patients were received traditional physical therapy program in the form of (stretching and strengthening exercises for all affected areas, diaphragmatic breathing exercises and activities of daily living).