Shoulder tendinopathy
Red light therapy for shoulder tendinopathy and shoulder pain
Evidence for low-level laser therapy in shoulder tendinopathy, with emphasis on dose adequacy and clinical targeting.
Study count
The cited meta-analysis included 17 randomized controlled trials.
Evidence grade
moderate
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Bottom line
Shoulder tendinopathy is promising for targeted PBM/LLLT, but panel protocols need careful dose and target assumptions.
Consensus: LLLT appears beneficial for shoulder tendinopathy when adequate doses and appropriate procedures are used.
What the studies found
- LLLT as monotherapy and as an adjunct to exercise produced clinically important pain relief versus placebo.
- Global improvement favored LLLT in monotherapy and adjunctive physiotherapy settings.
- Function improved significantly only when LLLT was used as monotherapy.
Dosage and timing
| Wavelengths | Not settled nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not settled |
| Fluence | Not settled |
| Session time | Varied across trials. |
| Frequency | Varied across trials. |
| Duration | Varied across trials. |
| Timing | No time-of-day consensus. |
| Treatment area | Shoulder tendon region. |
| Device types | Clinical low-level laser therapy. |
| Notes | Inadequate laser doses were ineffective in the review. |
- Adequate dose is central; weak or poorly targeted protocols may fail.
- Panel users need device irradiance, distance, and target-area estimates before comparing to trials.
- Best article language: targeted shoulder PBM evidence, not whole-body shoulder healing claims.
Caveats
- Shoulder pain can come from many structures and may require diagnosis.
- Clinical LLLT does not map cleanly to all consumer panels.
Cited peer-reviewed sources
Haslerud S, Magnussen LH, Joensen J, et al. Physiotherapy Research International. 2015.
A shoulder tendinopathy review found clinically relevant pain relief when LLLT used adequate doses.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15