Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in human progressive-intensity running: effects on exercise performance, skeletal muscle status, and oxidative stress

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on exercise performance, oxidative stress, and muscle status in humans. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial was performed with 22 untrained male volunteers. LLLT (810 nm, 200 mW, 30 J in each site, 30 s of irradiation in each site) using a multi-diode cluster (with five spots - 6 J from each spot) at 12 sites of each lower limb (six in quadriceps, four in hamstrings, and two in gastrocnemius) was performed 5 min before a standardized progressive-intensity running protocol on a motor-drive treadmill until exhaustion. We analyzed exercise performance (VO(2 max), time to exhaustion, aerobic threshold and anaerobic threshold), levels of oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and the markers of muscle damage creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Compared to placebo, active LLLT significantly increased exercise performance (VO(2 max) p = 0.01; time to exhaustion, p = 0.04) without changing the aerobic and anaerobic thresholds. LLLT also decreased post-exercise lipid (p = 0.0001) and protein (p = 0.0230) damages, as well as the activities of SOD (p = 0.0034), CK (p = 0.0001) and LDH (p = 0.0001) enzymes. LLLT application was not able to modulate CAT activity. The use of LLLT before progressive-intensity running exercise increases exercise performance, decreases exercise-induced oxidative stress and muscle damage, suggesting that the modulation of the redox system by LLLT could be related to the delay in skeletal muscle fatigue observed after the use of LLLT.

Light-emitting diode therapy (LEDT) before matches prevents increase in creatine kinase with a light dose response in volleyball players

“…However, previous studies reported better defenses against oxidative stress [16] if LLLT is applied over muscles after intense exercises as well as before exercise as reported in a previous clinical trial [40]. As mentioned above, the main chromophore, or red/NIR light-sensitive protein, present in biological tissues is Cox [5].…”

Proprioceptive evaluation in healthy women undergoing Infrared Low Level Laser Therapy

“…The LLLT is an important and effective tool, which interacts with biological tissue, produces various physiological and therapeutic effects, including improving muscle performance in both animal 15,25 and human studies 17 . Because of all these effects and by increasing cellular metabolism, when the LLLT penetrate the tissue, could interfere on the movement control and postural stability, improving balance and position sense, which is given by the mechanical stimulation of the muscles and joints.…”

“…Therefore, despite the LLLT is a widely used resource, it is in constant process of evaluating its various parameters and it needs more controlled studies to confirm their mechanisms of action in the various fields. The use of a single LLLT session has been used to assess their effects on endurance 16 , muscle performance, oxidative stress and fatigue 17 , however note that the use of only a therapeutic session is considered a limitation of this study, and that further studies could assess whether the sum therapies could significantly influence proprioception in healthy subjects.…”

“…When applied to stem cells it has been observed increased proliferation and cell differentiation 13 . In recent years, LLLT has been used aiming not only repair and analgesia, but to delay the levels of muscle fatigue 15 , reduce lactate levels, creatine kinase and C-reactive protein after exercise, and to increase muscle resistance 16 , increase muscle performance by delaying muscle fatigue 17 and increasing muscle torque 18 . Although biostimulants effects, there is a lack of research linking LLLT effects with proprioception, balance and movement control in healthy young women, since the research to date sticks in evaluating elderly 19 or with neurological disorders 20 and pain 21 ; so the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the application of infrared laser (830 nm) influence on proprioception in young women, given the potential both in sports and in athletes rehabilitation process.…”

Using Pre-Exercise Photobiomodulation Therapy Combining Super-Pulsed Lasers and Light-Emitting Diodes to Improve Performance in Progressive Cardiopulmonary Exercise Tests

“…Recently, researchers 22,23 have shown an increase in performance levels with the use of PBMT during progressive cardiopulmonary exercise tests. However, different PBMT devices result in different effects even with the use of similar exercise protocols to induce fatigue, [22][23][24][25] which makes it difficult for clinicians to determine which device should be used.…”