Studies on laser and cartilage both in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated positive effects. Renno et al. (2007) and Castano et al. (2007) indicated that laser therapy could be used for therapeutic repair of cartilage.
Kushibiki et al. (2010) showed an increased chondrocyte differentiation and higher chondrogenic messenger RNA expression in prechondrogenic cells after laser irradiation.
Lin et al. (2006) demonstrated that 810-nm LLLT can improve cartilage structure, prevent articular cartilage degradation, and significantly decrease the expression of caspase-3.
Although studies on the effectiveness of lasers to stimulate cartilage growth are available, there are also studies showing the effects do not translate into ‘real world’ factors.
For example in a review of the literature in 2015 Huang et al. concluded:
“This study indicated that LLLT has neither early nor later benefits in reducing pain or improving function in patients with KOA.”