Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40995827›Full record

SynthesisSports health

The Effect of Photobiomodulation Therapy on Muscle Performance in Volleyball and Football Players: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Dayong Qiu, Jiahan He, Boming Li, Pinshi Ni, Zhengyang Zhao, Rong Lv, Fanghui Li

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sports health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Dayong QiuSchool of Physical and Health Education, Nanjing Normal University Taizhou College, Taizhou, China.ORCID 0009-0004-7777-0932
Jiahan HeSchool of Sport Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Boming LiSchool of Sport Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Pinshi NiSchool of Sport Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Zhengyang ZhaoSchool of Sport Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Rong LvSchool of Sport Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Fanghui LiSchool of Sport Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextThe use of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) as an adjunct to improve muscle performance and accelerate recovery in high-level volleyball and football players remains controversial.

objectiveTo determine whether PBMT improves skeletal muscle performance in ball sports athletes, and whether there are differences in the improvement of skeletal muscle performance by PBMT between volleyballers and footballers. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive search of the Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and PubMed databases was conducted through April 10, 2025. STUDY SELECTION: Eligible studies included those explicitly categorized as randomized controlled trials (RCT) of PBMT interventions for high-level volleyballers and/or footballers; 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. STUDY

designMeta-analysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2. DATA EXTRACTION: The primary outcome measures included maximal voluntary contraction force (MVC), number of repetitions, and creatine kinase (CK) levels. Means and standard deviations for each variable of interest were used to calculate standardized mean differences (SMDs).

resultsThe active laser had no significant effect on MVC (mean difference [MD], 19.67; 95% CI, 7.36 to 31.72;

conclusionPBMT can delay muscle fatigue onset and reduce CK levels in ball sports athletes. The improvement in skeletal muscle performance induced by PBMT showed differences between volleyballers and footballers, as there was a significant increase the number of repetitions in volleyball players, whereas a significant decrease in CK levels was noted in footballers.

Indexed as

Athletic PerformanceLow-Level Light TherapyMuscle, SkeletalSoccerVolleyballCreatine KinaseHumansMuscle StrengthRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicCreatine Kinasemeta-analysismuscle performancePBMTvolleyball and football players

Identifiers

PMID40995827
PMCPMC12463863

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.