Earlier this year, Ivan Peres Costa, PT, PhD, and colleagues published findings from a clinical trial on the combination of resistance training (RT) and photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) for difficult-to-control asthma (DTCA) in Lasers in Medical Science.1 They found that the combined interventions safely boosted peripheral muscle strength and exercise capacity more than RT alone. However, because some therapeutic aspects remain unclear, in a recent letter to the editor, Ding Li and Qinsong Ye offered suggestions for future studies to explore.2<\/p>\n
Dosimetry<\/p>\n
A key area of the letter involved PBMT dosimetry and application protocol, which the authors note is vitally necessary for clinical translation. In the trial, Dr. Costa and colleagues used a fixed 850-nm LED dose regimen administered before each RT session. Although this dose was beneficial, PBMT effects are strongly dependent on dose, and optimal parameters for patients with chronic respiratory disease have not been identified.2<\/p>\n
In their letter, Li and Ye2 point out that this research gap is important for patients with DTCA. Most of them struggle with poor exercise tolerance, peripheral muscle weakness, and muscle damage associated with long-term glucocorticoid use, making them far more sensitive to interventions than healthy people. Compounding the difficulty, results of a recent study have indicated that an incorrect dose will not only fail to provide therapeutic effects but may also increase physical stress for vulnerable patients.2,3 Consequently, determining optimal long-term dosing guidelines is essential for delivering safe, effective care for these patients.<\/p>\n
Lack of a PBMT-Only Group<\/p>\n
According to the letter, a notable limitation of the trial was the absence of a PBMT-only group. The use of PBMT as a standalone treatment to increase peripheral muscle function for patients with advanced DTCA who are unable to participate in RT is presently only a theory. However, recent research offers partial mechanistic support for the concept, showing that PBMT has muscle metabolism and exercise benefits. For patients with advanced DTCA who cannot tolerate RT, standalone PBMT could be a beneficial option to reduce peripheral muscle dysfunction.2<\/p>\n
Delivery of PBMT to Thoracic Region<\/p>\n
The authors of the letter pointed out that the intervention of RT with PBMT boosted functional and muscular outcomes but not asthma control or pulmonary function. With this in mind, the authors propose investigating the delivery of PBMT to the thoracic region to gauge its ability to reduce asthma symptoms. They explained that thoracic PBMT can improve microcirculation, reduce local inflammation, and regulate airway nerve activity, all of which may target asthma\u2019s key pathologic features. Clinical trials have not investigated the use of thoracic PBMT for patients with DTCA, but animal studies in allergic asthma and COPD models have shown that low-energy chest light therapy has beneficial effects for the conditions.<\/p>\n
In summary, the letter supports the conclusion of the clinical trial that RT with PBMT is a safe, effective approach for DTCA, but the authors recommend further study in relation to optimal dose, application as monotherapy, and delivery to the thoracic region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Earlier this year, Ivan Peres Costa, PT, PhD, and colleagues published findings from a clinical trial on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":591184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60],"class_list":["post-591183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/591184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}