Human research · meta-analysis
Dadkhahfar S et al., Journal of Lasers in Medical Sciences 2026
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 randomised trials of low-level (LLLT) and high-intensity (HLLT/HILT) laser therapy for rotator cuff-related shoulder pain reported a reduction in overall pain, but the forest plot shows this effect is a standardised effect size (Hedges's g -5.22, I2 98.5%) driven by several trials with implausibly small standard deviations, not a 5-point drop on a 0-10 pain scale as the text's 'MD' label implies. Pain at rest, during movement and at night, and all four function scores were not significantly improved, and no certainty (GRADE) rating was done, so this review does not establish that laser therapy helps rotator cuff pain.
Source: Effectiveness of Low-Level and High-level Laser Therapy for Rotator Cuff-Related Shoulder Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Dadkhahfar S, Abbasian M, Hasanzadeh S, Omidvar P, Moteshakereh SM, Zarei H, Nikkhoo M, Abbasian M. J Lasers Med Sci. 2026;17:e52056. doi:10.34172/jlms.52056. PMID:42892916; PMC13675592. ePublished 2026-09-26; PubMed/PMC entry 2026-10-18 (picked up by the 48-h PubMed entry-date scan, not published in the last 24 h). PROSPERO: number not printed
Verified research card EL-20261020-02-R2