SynthesisSystematic reviews2025
Effects of photobiomodulation on multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of randomized clinical trials.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment and non-pharmacological interventions targeting the nervous system: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Optimisation of low-level light therapy (lllt) parameters and evaluation of its immunomodulatory effect on fibroblasts.Lasers in medical science · 2026Article
- Parameter-screened LED therapy targets STAT3/IL-6 axis to attenuate tendinopathy via dual modulation of inflammation and ECM remodeling.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- Review
- Photobiomodulation and Low-Level Laser Therapy as Complementary Strategies in Diabetes Treatment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Non-pharmacological pain treatments as neuro-epigenetic revalidation strategies: integrating chronobiology, acupuncture, and pharmaco-nutrition.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Photobiomodulation mitigates chondrocyte catabolism in osteoarthritis by modulating macrophage M1 polarization through the IL-6/JAK/STAT pathway.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Integrating nociplastic pain into neuropathic pain framework: a proposal for a revised classification.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Proposed Guidelines for Reporting Parameters and Procedures of High- and Low-Level Laser Therapy in Medical Research Articles.Medical devices (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPhotobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-invasive therapy increasingly used for pain, inflammation, and tissue repair, yet a comprehensive synthesis of its effectiveness across multiple health outcomes remains lacking. Herein, we aimed to systematically assess the clinical effects and strength of evidence for PBM across a wide range of health outcomes using data from existing meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
methodsWe conducted an umbrella review of meta-analyses of RCTs, searching five databases up to December 8, 2023. Two reviewers independently assessed methodological quality using AMSTAR 2 and evaluated certainty of evidence using a modified GRADE framework. Pooled effect sizes were recalculated as equivalent standardized mean differences (eSMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023495502).
resultsA total of 15 meta-analyses encompassing 204 RCTs and over 9000 participants were included, covering 35 health endpoints across 15 disease conditions. PBM showed significant effects for 12 outcomes, with moderate certainty of evidence supporting improvements in burning mouth syndrome (pain reduction, eSMD - 0.92 [95% CI - 1.38 to - 0.46]), knee osteoarthritis (disability, 0.65 [0.14 to 1.15]), fibromyalgia (fatigue, 1.25 [0.63 to 1.87]), androgenetic alopecia (hair density, 1.32 [1.00 to 1.63]), and cognitive function (0.49 [0.14 to 0.84]). Most other outcomes exhibited low or very low certainty due to heterogeneity or small-study effects. P-curve and funnel plot analyses indicated evidential value for several outcomes, though potential publication bias was identified in some.
conclusionsPBM appeared beneficial for some health conditions, such as the strongest support for fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis-related disability, and cognitive impairment. However, given the overall low-to-moderate certainty of evidence for most endpoints, further high-quality trials and standardization of PBM protocols are warranted before widespread clinical adoption.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.