Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the healing of an osteochondral defect in rabbits. Background data: Full-thickness defects of articular cartilage in the knee have a negligible capacity to heal spontaneously. Biostimulatory effects of LLLT on chondrocytes and articular cartilage were reported. Materials and Methods: An osteochondral defect with a 5-mm diameter was surgically induced in the right femoral patellar groove of forty-two adult male rabbits. They were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group received He–Ne laser treatment (632.8 nm, 10 mW, circular laser beam, with a surface area of 0.0314 cm2) of 148.4 J/cm2 three times a week. The control group received placebo LLLT with the equipment switched off. Each group was divided into four subgroups: A, B, C, and D. The subgroups were sacrificed at 2, 4, 8, and 16 wk after surgery, respectively. The femur was removed and the defect was examined biomechanically by the in-situ indentation method. The instantaneous stiffness, maximum force, equilibrium load, and energy absorption were calculated. Results: The results of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group. Only one significant difference was observed between the control and experimental groups: the second part of the energy absorption of the experimental group (56.11 ± 11.5) was significantly higher than that of the control group (18.9 ± 4) (p = 0.015) 4 wk after surgery. Conclusion: LLLT with a He–Ne laser of an osteochondral defect in rabbits could not significantly accelerate the healing of the osteochondral defect from a biomechanical standpoint when compared with a control group.
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