Without knowing how it works, researchers conducting a meta-analysis have found low-intensity laser therapy to effectively relieve chronic neck pain.

The non-invasive treatment, pooled data from 16-randomized, controlled trials indicated both short and medium-term pain relief as reported by patients.

Writing online in The Lancet, the review favourably compares low-level laser therapy with other popular and widely used therapies, especially with pharmacological interventions, evidence for which is sparse and side effects common.

Targeting muscles and vertebral joints, usually at the back or side of the neck, the procedure involves shining low-intensity laser beams, able to penetrate several centimetres of tissue.

It is possible that the radiation has anti-inflammatory effects as it inhibits prostaglandins and/or cytokines, alternatively, it may reduce oxidative stress and muscle fatigue, or the laser light alters nerve signalling at the neuromuscular junction, or else elicits overt nerve blockade.

Between 10 to 24% of people suffer from chronic neck pain, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, which highlights the need for simple though effective treatment.