Intervention effects of low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) on grade I–II ulcers in diabetic foot patients: A meta‐analysis

Abstract This study aims to systematically evaluate the effect of low‐level laser therapy on grade I–II diabetic foot ulcers. We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane, ClinicalKey, Ovid Medline, Sinomed, CNKI, and WANFANG databases for studies assessing the efficacy of low‐level laser therapy for diabetic foot ulcers, with a cutoff date of 15 September 2024. Two researchers independently selected relevant studies and extracted data, utilising RevMan 5.4 software to perform a meta‐analysis. A total of 11 studies involving 657 participants with grade I‐II diabetic foot ulcers were included. In patients with grade I‐II diabetic foot ulcers, low‐level laser therapy significantly increased the complete healing rate (RR = 4.97, 95% CI: 2.65–9.32, p < 0.00001), the wound shrinkage area (MD = 7.76, 95% CI: 6.51–9.0, p <0.00001), and the wound bacterial clearance rate (RR = 3.72, 95% CI: 2.16–6.39, p <0.00001) compared to the control group, while also reducing the infection rate (RR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01–0.8, p <0.03). Low‐level laser therapy is an effective adjuvant therapy that accelerates wound healing in patients with grade I–II diabetic foot ulcers. However, further research is necessary to validate its effects on wound area reduction rate and healing time.