• Veronika Leichtfried, Raffaella Matteucci Gothe, Wilhelm Kantner-Rumplmair, Maria Mair-Raggautz, Christian Bartenbach, Helmut Guggenbichler, Dieter Gehmacher, Leonore Jonas, Martin Aigner, Dietmar Winkler, and Wolfgang Schobersberger.
• Department of Medical Sciences and Health System Management, Institute for Sports Medicine, Alpine Medicine & Health Tourism, UMIT, Hall in Tyrol, Austria.
• Pain Med. 2014 Dec 1;15(12):2003-12.

ObjectiveThe present trial evaluated incorporation of bright light therapy in the treatment of chronic nonspecific back pain (CNBP).DesignA prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter, open design with three parallel trial arms was used.SettingSubjects received a novel therapeutic, an expected therapeutic ineffective low dose, or no light exposure at three different medical centers.PatientsA total of 125 CNBP patients reporting pain intensity of ≥3 points on item 5 of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) were included.InterventionOver 3 weeks, 36 active treatment, 36 placebo controls, and 33 controls received 3 or no supplementary light exposures of 5.000 lx or 230 lx, respectively.Outcome MeasuresChanges in self-reported scores of pain intensity (BPI sub-score 1) and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire) were the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcome measures were changes in self-reported overall pain sensation (BPI total score), grade of everyday life impairment (BPI sub-score 2), mood (visual analog scale), and well-being (World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index).ResultsChanges in pain intensity were higher (1.0 [0.8-1.6]) in the bright light group compared with controls (0.3 [-0.1-0.8]; effect size D = 0.46). Changes in the depression score were also higher in the intervention group (1.5 [0.0-2.5]) compared with controls (0.0 [0.0-2.0]; effect size D = 0.86). No differences were seen in change scores between intervention vs sham group.ConclusionThe present randomized controlled trial shows that light therapy even in low dose could improve depressive symptoms and reduce pain intensity in CNBP patients. Further research is needed for optimizing parameters of frequency, dose, and duration of therapeutic light exposure.Copyright Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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