Effects Of Photobiomodulation, Intermittent Pneumatic Compression And Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation On Muscle Recovery: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.
Research Summary
Can treatment timing influence recovery after exercise? This 2025 systematic review compared evidence on photobiomodulation, intermittent pneumatic compression and neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Across the review, 19 randomised studies involved 672 healthy adults. That total covers all three approaches and should not be read as the sample size for photobiomodulation alone.
The authors found low-certainty evidence that photobiomodulation given before exercise reduced muscle soreness compared with control conditions. They also reported improved muscle performance at 24 hours after exercise-induced damage. These findings suggest a possible benefit under the studied conditions, while leaving substantial uncertainty about the size and reliability of the effect.
Who Or What Was Studied?
The review included healthy, asymptomatic participants aged 18 years or older. Four databases were searched in July 2023. Two independent reviewers selected studies, assessed risk of bias and evaluated evidence certainty using GRADE. This was a synthesis of existing trials, rather than a new trial of a single device.
What Did The Research Show?
- For photobiomodulation before exercise, the abstract reports a mean difference in soreness of −12.27 points, with a 95% confidence interval from −18.14 to −6.40 and heterogeneity of I² = 48%. The evidence was rated low certainty.
- The abstract does not specify the scale range alongside that estimate or the participant count contributing to it. The result cannot be interpreted as a 12.27% reduction, and its clinical importance cannot be established from the abstract alone.
- The review did not demonstrate reduced soreness with electrical stimulation immediately after treatment or pneumatic compression at 24 hours. These results concern different interventions and assessment times; they are not a direct ranking from one head-to-head trial.
Limitations And Interpretation
This summary is based on the supplied DOCX summary and the original PubMed abstract. The publisher's full text and supplements were not accessible. The abstract does not provide enough detail to reproduce the light protocols, including wavelength, irradiance, dose and treatment duration, or to assess each trial's limitations independently.
Piri Red interpretation: treatment timing deserves attention, but this abstract does not establish one reliable home-use protocol or show that every light device improves recovery. Low-certainty evidence warrants caution, and findings in healthy adults after exercise should not be generalised to the treatment of injuries or medical conditions.
Source
Canez MS, da Silva LI, Ferreira GD, de Araújo FX, Luza LP. Effects of photobiomodulation, intermittent pneumatic compression and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle recovery: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2025;44:570–584. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.06.021. PMID: 40954632.