NCT07057063

Light Therapy on Pain and Synovitis

Recruiting now NA Last updated 26 November 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing 810 nm Light Therapy in Knee Pain Chronic in 80 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

13 July 2025

Primary endpoint
28 May 2026

28 May 2026

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	triple
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	80
Start date	13 July 2025
Primary completion	28 May 2026
Estimated completion	28 May 2026
Sites	2 locations across China, Hong Kong

Drugs / interventions tested

• 810 nm Light Therapy
• Sham Light Therapy

Conditions studied

• Knee Pain Chronic — all drugs for Knee Pain Chronic →
• Synovitis of Knee — all drugs for Synovitis of Knee →
• Light Therapy — all drugs for Light Therapy →

Sponsor

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Who can join

Adults 40 to 80, any sex, with Knee Pain Chronic or Synovitis of Knee. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Background: Knee pain is a common complaint among middle-aged and older adults, often leading to reduced mobility and diminished quality of life. Synovitis is a major underlying cause, present in up to 80% of individuals with moderate knee pain. While light therapy has shown anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in preclinical studies, our prior animal experiments revealed that light therapy at 810 nm significantly alleviated inflammation and pain-like behaviors. These findings suggest a potential wavelength-specific therapeutic effects. However, it remains unclear whether such effects can be replicated in humans. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of 810 nm light therapy, compared to sham treatment, in reducing knee pain and synovitis in patients with chronic knee pain and knee synovitis.

Methods/design:

This is a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 90 participants with chronic knee pain and ultrasound-detected synovitis. Participants will be randomized into two groups to receive 810 nm light therapy, or sham therapy, delivered twice weekly over five weeks. Primary outcomes include knee pain assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and synovitis assessed by ultrasound. Secondary outcomes include the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the 30-second chair stand test, and the 40-meter fast-paced walk test. Outcome assessments will be performed at baseline, post-intervention (week 5), and at 1 month and 6 months after treatment completion. Linear mixed-effects models will be used to compare outcome changes between groups.

Discussion:

This trial will assess whether 810 nm light therapy provides clinically meaningful benefits for reducing knee pain and synovitis in humans, building on promising preclinical findings. Results from this study may support the use of near-infrared light as a safe, non-invasive, and effective intervention for synovitis-related knee pain.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.