Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41836566›Full record

ArticleJournal of orthopaedic translation2026

Effects of early photobiomodulation therapy on motor recovery in patients with incomplete acute cervical spinal cord injury: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Zhuowen Liang, Pan Li, Shuang Wang, Yongfeng Zhang, Jiawei Zhang, Beiyu Chen, Guangwei Zhang, Lin Qiao, Hao Zhang, Jianxin Zhang and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of orthopaedic translation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

15 authors.

Zhuowen LiangDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Pan LiDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Shuang WangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Institute of Photonics and Photon-Technology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710127, China.
Yongfeng ZhangDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Jiawei ZhangDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Beiyu ChenDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Guangwei ZhangDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Lin QiaoDepartment of Orthopedics, The 987 Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army Joint Logistics Support Force, China.
Hao ZhangPeople Hospital of LongHua District, Shenzhen, China.
Jianxin ZhangWeiNan Central Hospital, China.
Yongkun WeiDepartment of Orthopedics, 3201 Hospital, Hanzhong, 72300, Shaanxi, China.
Zhuojing LuoDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Xueyu HuDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Tan DingDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Zhe WangDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Early neurological recovery following acute incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with better long-term function. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has shown neuroprotective effects in preclinical studies, but multicenter clinical evidence remains limited. Methods: In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, adults (18-70 years) with American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade C cervical SCI presenting within 24 h were enrolled at three tertiary hospitals and randomized to PBM or control. All patients underwent posterior decompression within 24 h. The PBM group received once-daily PBM for 7 consecutive days (810 nm, 300 mW, 30 min) via a diffusing fiber positioned approximately 1.0 cm above the exposed spinal cord. The control group received standard care without PBM. Co-primary outcomes were change in ASIA motor score and independent ambulation at 3, 6, and 12 months. Secondary outcomes included CSF biomarkers at day 7, SCIM-III, SF-36, EQ-5D, and complications. Results: Of 66 randomized patients, 56 (84.8 %) completed the 12-month follow-up (PBM: n = 25; control: n = 31). PBM patients had significantly higher ASIA motor scores at 0.5 months (mean difference, 8.13; 95 % CI, 5.62 to 10.22; Conclusion: Early PBM adjunctive to decompression may improve short-term neurological and functional recovery and reduce CSF markers of neural injury in acute incomplete cervical SCI. The translational potential of this article: Our findings suggest that PBM can be safely integrated into standard decompression surgery and may enhance early recovery, supporting further trials to optimize this approach and translate this adjunctive therapy into clinical practice. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100042296).

Indexed as

Cervical spinal cord injuryComplicationsMotor recoveryPhotobiomodulation therapyRehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID41836566
PMCPMC12988526

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.