ABSTRACT
Tendon injuries are common in human athletes and sport horses. Unfortunately, traditional treatments are limited in their ability to completely heal injured tendons. Recent advances in low-level laser therapy (LLLT) have shown promising results. This study evaluated the effect of Multiwave Locked System (MLS®) laser therapy in collagenase-induced tendon lesions in sheep.
Six animals were randomly assigned to two groups, with group 1 receiving ten MLS® Laser Therapy treatments at 5 J/cm2 on the left hind limb and group 2 receiving the same number of treatment at 2.5 J/cm2 on left hind limb. The right hind limb was considered a control for both groups. Clinical follow-up, ultrasonography and histological examinations were performed on the injured tendons.
Clinical and histological evaluations demonstrated that using a therapeutic dose less than 5 J/cm2 resulted in an anti-inflammatory effect. Moreover, the histological examinations showed a statistically significant reduction in cell number in both treated groups and a significant decrease in vascularization in the treated tendons in group 2. MLS® Laser Therapy appears to be an effective tool to improve collagen fiber organization in the deep digital flexor tendon.
