What is Photobiomodulation (PBM)

Photobiomodulation refers to the effect of light on the cells and tissues of living organisms, which can be beneficial or harmful, depending on the photon energy absorbed and the parameters of the light. The specific functions are as follows:

Photobiomodulation can stimulate the production capacity of cytochrome C oxidase, increase metabolic rate, and promote cell proliferation and migration. 

Photobiomodulation is used in medicine to treat a variety of diseases, for example, infrared therapy can help reduce oil secretion and bacterial content on the skin, help clear acne and other skin problems, red light therapy can promote muscle repair, increase ATP energy production, help the body function more efficiently, improve blood circulation, red light therapy can relieve joint pain and inflammation, enhance lymphatic system activity, reduce swelling and inflammation, red light therapy can stimulate collagen production, has a certain anti-aging effect. 

Photobiomodulation can also be applied to plant growth, for example, red light can promote nucleoside triphosphatase activity in isolated pea nucleosides, and this promoting effect is reversed by far-red light. 

In addition, it is important to note that there are also some potential risks associated with photobiomodulation, such as the need for proper eye protection to avoid damage to the eye when receiving red light therapy for a long time.

Therapeutic applications of PBM 

Therapeutic applications of photobiomodulation are known as photobiomodulation therapy (a.k.a. PBT or sometimes PBMT). 

Typically described in the context of treating humans and other mammals, such as dogs, cats, horses, and camels, PBT addresses a very wide range of physiological conditions, mainly because PBM occurs naturally in almost all tissue types, such as:

Nervous tissue 

Muscle tissue 

Epithelial 

Connective tissue 

In general, the efficacy of photomedicine and PBT depends on the nature of the patient's condition, the treatment regimen administered, and the photon delivery system employed. 

With more than 300,000 papers published on PubMed alone, the strength of empirical evidence supporting the effective application of PBM protocols is staggering. As primary care or adjunctive use, PBT is no longer confined to the realm of alternative medicine. Its ability to successfully treat diseases and injuries is comparable to the best pharmacological solutions available today. 

Major indications of PBM

Pain management 

Wound healing and chronic skin diseases 

Rehabilitation 

Musculoskeletal and neurological disorders 

    Degenerative diseases trauma 

    Intervertebral disc disease  

    Postoperatively 

        Orthopaedics 

        Soft tissue 

Intra-abdominal 

Intrathoracic

Contraindication 

Laser treatment is very safe. However, some contraindications are still listed in the literature. As we better understand all the physiological mechanisms behind laser treatments, some of them may be removed or modified. At this time, the following are still on the list: 

Direct irradiation to the eyes 

Direct irradiation to any cancer/malignancy 

Direct irradiation to the pregnant uterus Joint sites with intra-articular or epidural injection of steroids or non-steroidal drugs within 7 days of direct irradiation 

Direct irradiation to the bleeding area