Transcranial Photobiomodulation in Sports Medicine: Enhancing Athletic Performance and Injury Prevention

Abstract

Objective:

In sports, achieving peak performance and overcoming injuries are critical for athletes at all levels. This narrative review, aligned with PRISMA guidelines, synthesizes evidence from 7 human and animal studies on the effects of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) in sports medicine, focusing on athletic performance.

Results:

tPBM, which uses red and near-infrared light, offers a noninvasive approach that has shown preliminary evidence of enhancing motor function, cognitive performance (e.g., attention, decision-making), and muscle strength while reducing neuroinflammation and aiding recovery from neurological damage. However, evidence for mitigating injury, particularly for traumatic brain injuries, is limited and primarily derived from animal models or human studies with methodological limitations, such as small sample sizes or lack of sham controls. Challenges include inconsistent protocols and limited research on elite athletes. tPBM may hold potential as a complementary tool to traditional approaches, but further rigorous trials are needed to establish standardized protocols and confirm its efficacy. Future trials should prioritize larger samples, sham-controlled designs, athlete-specific cohorts, standardized protocols, and outcome measures such as reaction time, executive function, grip strength, and balance control.