This study evaluates the effect of low level laser light therapy on reducing low back pain. Half of the participants will receive the actual treatment with the active laser and the other half of the participants will receive a placebo treatment with an inactive laser.

Back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives. It is the second most common neurological ailment in the United States, second only to headache, and it is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work. Around $50 billion is spent in the U.S. each year to treat low back pain. Men and women are equally affected, with the most common age affected being between 30 and 50 years.

Most low back pain stems from benign musculoskeletal problems, referred to as non-specific low back pain, which is the etiology being evaluated in this study. It is caused by lumbar sprain or strain a stretch injury to the ligaments, tendons, and/or muscles of the low back.

Current mainstream treatment approaches for low back pain due to lumbar sprain strain focus on reducing pain and inflammation, including rest; oral and topical over-the-counter and prescription medications; local heat applications; massage and exercise. Alternative treatment options include acupuncture; chiropractic manipulation; biofeedback; traction; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS); and ultrasound. Surgical procedures are also a treatment option for low back pain, and although the outcomes are often poor and do not last, back surgery remains the 3rd most common form of surgery in the United States, with about 300,000 back surgeries performed annually.

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) communicates information to the receptors on the membrane of the cell and mitochondrion (the enzymatic engine of the cell). This energetic information reaches the cell's DNA, which directly controls cell function. When the cells receive better information, they work better, as do the tissues they comprise, like bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, etc. In this way, LLLT promotes the healing and regeneration of damaged tissues, having both local effects on tissue function and also systemic effects carried throughout the body by the blood and acupuncture meridians. The key basic physiological effects of low level laser light include increased cell membrane polarization and permeability; Adenosine-5-triphosphate (ATP) production and respiratory chain activity; enzyme activity; collagen and epithelial production; capillary formation; macrophage (immune) activity; analgesic effects due to elevated endorphin production, electrolytic nerve blockage, and improved blood and lymph flow; anti-inflammatory effect due to improved circulation and accelerated tissue regeneration; and increased production of antioxidants. Of additional benefit is that light energy from low level lasers will only be absorbed by cells and tissues that are not functioning normally and has no effect on healthy cells.

Therefore, low level laser therapy has the potential benefit of providing an effective means of reducing low back pain that is simple, quick, non-invasive and side-effect free.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primary pain is in the lower back region bound between the lowest rib and the crease of the buttocks
• Low back pain is of musculoskeletal origin wherein the etiology is lumbar sprain or strain
• Diagnosis is based on positive supportive patient history, physical examination, medication use history and review of relevant records and diagnostic tests
• Low back pain is episodic chronic, defined as pain having occurred on at least 15 days of each of the preceding 3 months, with each individual episode having lasted at least 24 hours followed by a subsequent period of at least 24 hours without pain
• Self-reported Degree of Pain rating on the 0-100 Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scale of 40 or greater
• Subject is willing and able to refrain from consuming any over-the-counter or prescription medications, including herbal supplements for the relief of pain or inflammation, including muscle relaxants throughout study participation, except for the study pain relief medication
• Subject is willing and able to refrain from non-study procedure therapies for low back pain throughout study participation
• Primary language is English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Low back pain is undiagnosed, or has been diagnosed as in whole or in part due to mechanical, inflammatory: neoplastic, metabolic or psychosomatic origins
• Non-organic pain, defined as positive findings for 3 or more of the 5 signs in the 'Waddell's Signs of Inorganic Behavior' list
• Known herniated disc injury
• Known osteoporosis with compression fractures
• Osteoporosis defined as a Total SCORE on the Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation (SCORE) screening questionnaire of > 6, and a Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) T-score ≤ -2.5
• Congenital deformity of the spine
• Current, active chronic pain disease
• Cancer or treatment for cancer in the past 6 months, including spinal cord tumors
• Use of the analgesics paracetamol, compound analgesics or topical analgesics within 7 days prior to treatment
• Use of the muscle relaxants cyclobenzaprine (Lexeril, Fexmid), diazepam (Valium) or meprobamate (Miltown®, Equinil®, Equagesic®, Meprospan®) within 30 days prior to treatment
• Use of the muscle relaxants Carisoprodol (Soma®, Sodol®, Soprodol®, Soridol®) or Metaxalone (Skelaxin, Robaxin) within 7 days prior to treatment
• Use of the antidepressants duloxetine (Cymbalta®, Effexor), amitriptyline, imipramine (Tofranil), clomipramine (Anafranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), desipramine (Norpramin) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) e.g. Paxil, paroxetine, fluoxetine (Prozac) initiated within 30 days prior to treatment
• Consumption of systemic corticosteroid therapy or narcotics within 30 days prior to treatment
• Local or epidural injection of corticosteroids in the back within 3 months prior to treatment
• Botulinum toxin (Botox®) injection for chronic low back pain within 4 months prior to treatment
• Active infection, wound or other external trauma to the treatment areas
• Prior surgery to the back or spine
• Medical, physical or other contraindications for, or sensitivity to, light therapy
• Pregnant, breast feeding, or planning pregnancy prior to study end
• Serious known mental health illness such as dementia or schizophrenia; psychiatric hospitalization in past two years
• Mental illness/incompetence defined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V (DSM-V) definition and criteria
• Current and/or prior history of alcohol and/or other substance abuse, defined according to the DSM-V definition and criteria
• Developmental disability or cognitive impairment that may compromise study participation
• Involvement in litigation or receiving disability benefits related to the study parameters
• Participation in a clinical study or other type of research in the past 30 days

1 year, 8 months