Exercise performance / running
Photobiomodulation therapy and running performance meta-analysis
Nascimento APD, Silva AVD, Casonatto J, Aguiar AF. International Journal of Exercise Science. 2024.
A randomized-trial meta-analysis found PBM did not improve running performance outcomes such as time trial or time-to-exhaustion performance.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
no-clear-effect
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The review is important because it tempers broad performance claims with a sport-specific negative result.
- Findings did not support PBM for running performance in the analyzed outcomes.
- This should sit beside earlier broader performance meta-analyses when writing exercise content.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied across running trials |
| Duration | Varied across running trials |
| Treatment area | Running muscles |
| Device type | PBM devices used in running performance trials |
Caveats
- Sport-specific outcomes can differ; negative running evidence does not erase targeted findings in other exercise tests.
- Consumer claims should separate endurance running from strength, sprint, soreness, and recovery outcomes.