The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pre-exercise low-level phototherapy (Light-Emitting Diode therapy [LEDtherapy] or Light Amplification by Stimulate Emission of Radiation therapy [LASERtherapy]) in increasing exercise capacity and muscle performance of people undergoing exercise when compared to placebo treatment. Randomized controlled trials and crossover studies were sought on CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SciELO, PEDro and LILACS from its inception up to February 2015. References lists of included studies were sought for additional relevant research. Two authors independently extracted data on study design, treatment parameters, exercise capacity (number of repetitions, time to exhaustion, blood lactate concentration and lactate dehydrogenase activity) and muscle performance (torque, power and strength) using an structured table. Agreement should be reached by consensus or by a third reviewer. Sixteen studies involving 297 participants were included. Improvement of number of repetitions (mean difference [MD] [95 % confidence interval] = 3.51 repetitions [0.65-6.37]; P = 0.02), delay in time to exhaustion (MD = 4.01 s [2.10-5.91]; P < 0.0001), reduction in lactate levels (MD = 0.34 mmol/L [0.19-0.48]; P < 0.00001) and increased peak torque (MD = 21.51 Nm [10.01-33.01]; P < 0.00001) were observed when LASERtherapy was applied. LEDtherapy meta-analyses were performed with two studies and retrieved no between-group statistically significant difference in power, lactate levels or time to exhaustion. Although our results suggest that LASERtherapy is effective in improving skeletal muscle exercise capacity, the quality of the current evidence is limited.

AIMS: To analyze the effects of low-level laser therapy (660nm) in the treatment of striae alba.METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 20 women equally divided into a control group and a treatment group. For inclusion, they should have striae alba in the gluteal region and accept to participate in the study. Exclusion criteria were other treatment for striae, pregnancy, steroid use, smoking, cancer diagnosis, hemorrhagic areas on the skin, diagnosis of epilepsy, diagnosis of thrombosis, or any cognitive impairment. Twelve applications of 660 nm laser were performed for four weeks. After another four weeks of follow-up, a reevaluation was performed. After each application, photos were taken from the region to evaluate the size of the striae by means of scanned planimetry, which calculates the percentage of area occupied by the striae. For this evaluation, the photos taken at the first application (AV1), the sixth (AV2), the 12th (AV3) and the last evaluation, after four weeks of treatment completion (AV4), were used. Qualitative evaluations were also performed by touch (depth) and visual inspection (hue and size).RESULTS: The analysis by planimetry showed that there was no difference between the area occupied by the striae when comparing the various evaluations of the same group, until the AV3. However in AV4 (four weeks after the last laser application) of the treatment group, there was a statistically significant decrease of the stria area in relation to AV1. In the control group, there was no difference between AV4 and the other evaluations. In the comparison between the two groups, there was no difference in the first three evaluations. However in AV4 the treatment group showed a smaller area of the striae in relation to the control group. In the qualitative analysis the treated group had lower visibility and less depth of the striae to the touch.CONCLUSIONS: Therapy with 12 sessions of low-level laser for four weeks had a positive effect on the treatment of striae alba, with results becoming evident only four weeks after the last application. The 660 nm laser showed to be a non-invasive, painless and fast-applied method.

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Primary dysmenorrhea is characterized as painful menstruation without associated pelvic disease and has been considered common among young people of reproductive age. Cryotherapy is a technique aimed at analgesia and anti-inflammatory action. The objective of this study was to analyze the analgesic efficacy of cryotherapy in sedentary youth with primary dysmenorrhea. Methods were included sedentary, affected by primary dysmenorrhea. The analysis of pain intensity by visual analog scale (VAS) and the Brazilian Version of the Wisconsin Brief Pain Questionnaire were used for evaluation. The participants were randomly separated into a control group (CG, n = 10) and a cryotherapy group (CryoG, n = 10). The evaluations and treatment occurred during a menstrual cycle, with three interventions, in the initial 3 days of higher menstrual flow history report. CG showed a reduction in pain when comparing the 1st with the 4th day of assessment; CryoG showed a daily reduction in VAS; for the pain questionnaire, cryotherapy showed a reduction in interference with sleep dysmenorrhea; and for all other variables, although there was no significant difference, a large effect size was observed. Cryotherapy was effective in reducing pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea, with indication of clinical improvement in daily living activities.