Soft-tissue injury / ankle sprain
Photobiomodulation therapy for acute ankle sprain systematic review and meta-analysis
Alayat MSM, et al. Lasers in Medical Science. 2024.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of acute ankle sprain found PBM improved pain but did not clearly improve edema or function.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
mixed
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The review included six studies with 598 participants.
- Pain improved, while edema and function outcomes were not significantly improved.
- The authors noted high heterogeneity and varied PBM parameters.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied across ankle sprain studies |
| Duration | Varied across ankle sprain studies |
| Treatment area | Acute ankle sprain region |
| Device type | PBM devices for musculoskeletal injury |
Caveats
- Ankle sprains need assessment for fracture, instability, and graded return to activity.
- Evidence does not support PBM as a standalone fix for swelling or function.