CONTEXT: Peripheral nerve injuries result in sensory and motor losses in the innervated area and can hinder individuals’ daily activities. Objective: The objective was to analyze the influence of applying gallium-aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) laser (660Nm) on the functional recovery of the sciatic nerve in rats. METHODS: The sciatic nerve of 12 Wistar rats was subjected to injury consisting of neurotmesis and epineural anastomosis. The rats were divided into two groups: control and laser therapy. After the injury, a GaAlAs laser was used (660Nm, 4J/cm², 26.3mW and 0.63cm² beam) at three equidistant points on the injury, for 20 days. Footprint impressions were obtained from the animals before and seven, 14 and 21 days after the surgical procedure and the sciatic functional index (SFI) was calculated. RESULTS: Comparison of the SFI did not show any significant difference (p>0.05) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The parameters and methods used for the laser therapy did not produce any effect on the SFI over the period evaluated.
nerve regeneration; low-level laser therapy; sciatic nerve
