Effect of photobiomodulation on pain and quality of life in fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain disorder characterized by widespread pain and central sensitization that significantly impacts the quality of life (QoL). For management to be effective, a multidisciplinary approach to care is typically required. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), a non-pharmacological treatment, has garnered attention lately, though its clinical relevance and applications are not well defined. The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of PBMT in reducing FMS symptoms. This systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD420251084730) and conducted following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) reporting guidelines. A total of seven randomized controlled trials were identified following an extensive literature search across various databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Ovid and ProQuest. To evaluate the methodological quality of these studies, the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB 2.0) tool was applied. PBMT demonstrated consistent short-term reductions in pain intensity and improvements in QoL. Additional positive effects on sleep quality and psychological well-being were observed, indicating that PBMT may provide additional therapeutic benefits beyond pain reduction, including improvements in sleep quality and psychological well-being. PBMT has shown promise as a safe, non-pharmacological adjunct therapy that may provide short-term improvements in pain levels and QoL, but substantial heterogeneity limits generalizability. Clinical trials with large samples and standardized methodologies should be conducted to better clarify the role of PBMT in multidisciplinary therapy for FMS.