Objective:
Low-level light therapy (LLLT), also known as photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, involves the exposure to low levels of red and near-infrared light to cells or tissues. It is a non-invasive and safe approach to reduce inflammation, relieve pain, heal wounds, repair skeletal muscles and treat muscle fatigue. A previous study has demonstrated the effectiveness of LLLT in reducing vocal fatigue in healthy individuals following vocal loading tasks. However, the effectiveness of LLLT in people with vocal fatigue has yet to be explored. The proposed study is a behaviour-controlled phase 2 study on the efficacy of LLLT in the treatment of vocal fatigue.
Methods:
A total of 32 participants with vocal fatigue will be recruited. The participants will be randomly allocated to the immediate treatment group or to the waitlist control group. The LLLT treatment program will last approximately 1 month, during which each participant will receive 3 sessions per week, for a total of 12 sessions. Each session lasts 10 minutes, with LLLT targeting the laryngeal region.
Results:
Outcome measures include the Vocal Fatigue Scale, Voice Handicap Index-30, aerodynamic and voice quality measures using both perceptual evaluation of voice and acoustic voice analysis. The results are measured before and after treatment.
Conclusions:
This study is an early clinical trial to determine the therapeutic efficacy of LLLT on the laryngeal muscles as a new treatment for patients with vocal fatigue. The results of this preliminary study will form the basis for a Phase 3 randomised-controlled trial to investigate using LLLT for the treatment of voice fatigue and voice disorders.
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