https://doi.org/10.4081/ltj.2023.315 In post-natal women with nipple pain, does photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) at 660 nm compared with sham PBMT reduce pain on breastfeeding? A case series during COVID-19 PDF Vol. 30 No. 1 (2023) Submitted: 13 January 2023 Accepted: 16 March 2023 Published: 18 April 2023 Nipple pain, laser, breastfeeding, laser therapy Abstract Views: 3241 PDF: 142 Publisher's note All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. Authors Monique Ralph Physiotherapy Department, Mater Mothers’ Hospitals South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Cameron Hurst Biostatistics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Sheridan Guyatt Physiotherapy Department, Mater Mothers’ Hospitals South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Kathleen Goldsmith Parent Education and Support Services, Mater Health, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. E-Liisa Laakso liisa.laakso@mater.uq.edu.au https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4820-1090 Mater Research Institute-The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Abstract The analgesic role of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) for breastfeeding women with nipple pain is inconclusive. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of PBMT at 660 nm in post-natal women with nipple pain planning to exclusively breastfeed. A randomised, placebo-controlled clinical study was initiated at a tertiary hospital in Brisbane, Australia on the inpatient maternity wards from May 2020 to September 2020. Eligible participants were randomised into two groups, an intervention group receiving usual care and PBMT (Group A) and a control group receiving usual care and sham PBMT (Group B). Usual care involved consultation with a midwife and/or lactation consultant to assist with infant latching and breastfeeding positioning. PBMT (660 nm; 250 Hz; 17 mW; 0.5 cm2 spot size) was administered three times within 24 hours. Nipple pain was the primary outcome measure analysed using a Visual Analogue Scale. Quality of life (QoL) and the participants’ perceived efficacy of treatment were secondary outcome measures evaluated using the PROMIS Global Short Form and a combined 5-point Likert scale and thematic analysis, respectively. Due to the impact of COVID-19, only 10 participants were recruited. Compared to sham, three applications of PBMT at 660 nm provided no significant difference to participants’ nipple pain, QoL or perceived efficacy of treatment. 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Available from: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/national-statement-ethical-conduct-human-research-2007-updated-2018 Citation / Copyright How to Cite Ralph, M., Hurst, C., Guyatt, S., Goldsmith, K., & Laakso, E.-L. (2023). In post-natal women with nipple pain, does photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) at 660 nm compared with sham PBMT reduce pain on breastfeeding? A case series during COVID-19. Laser Therapy, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ltj.2023.315 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Copyright (c) 2023 the Author(s) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published. 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