Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35323210›Full record

ReviewEuropean journal of investigation in health, psychology and education2022

Infrared Radiation in the Management of Musculoskeletal Conditions and Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review.

Christos Tsagkaris, Andreas S Papazoglou, Anna Eleftheriades, Stavros Tsakopoulos, Athanasios Alexiou, Mihnea-Alexandru Găman, Dimitrios V Moysidis

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Superficial heat therapy in women's health.Frontiers in medicine · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Examining the Impact of Far-Infrared Technology on Quality of Life in Older Adults.International journal of aging & human development · 2024
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Health Sciences before, during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2023
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Christos TsagkarisNovel Global Community Educational Foundation, Blacktown 2770, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4250-574X
Andreas S PapazoglouNaval Hospital of Athens, 15561 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-4981-8121
Anna EleftheriadesFaculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Stavros TsakopoulosFaculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-6570-0348
Athanasios AlexiouNovel Global Community Educational Foundation, Blacktown 2770, Australia.
Mihnea-Alexandru GămanFaculty of Medicine, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0000-0001-7133-8875
Dimitrios V MoysidisFaculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-9083-0267

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Infrared radiation (IR) is a promising complementary treatment for musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain. By means of a systematic review, we evaluated the contribution of IR to the management of these ailments. PubMed-MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library-Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched until 20 December 2021. The literature search yielded 233 relevant records. Following the screening of titles and abstracts, 42 full-texts were evaluated. As per inclusion/exclusion criteria, 13 publications were entered into the qualitative assessment. These studies described the effects of IR in humans: three studies focused on osteoarthritis, four studies on fibromyalgia, and six encompassed a wider range of diseases (ankylosing spondylitis, recovery from sports injuries, myofascial pain syndrome). Based on the findings of our systematic review, we noted a decrease in pain levels, as evaluated by the visual analog scale (VAS), in patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders treated with IR. In addition, IR use led to a decrease in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FiQ) scores in subjects diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Nevertheless, IR has failed to facilitate muscle recovery following athletic injuries.

Indexed as

fibromyalgiainfrared phototherapylow back painmusculoskeletal conditionsorthopedicsosteoarthritisphotodynamic therapyphysical therapyrehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID35323210
PMCPMC8946909

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.