Effects of Intravascular Photobiomodulation on Insomnia, Muscle Soreness, and Biochemistry Profiles: An Eight-Year Follow-Up Study

Abstract Background Existing reviews indicate that insomnia and muscle soreness are usually managed pharmacotherapeutically. However, pharmacotherapy can lead to numerous side-effects. The non-drug strategy intravascular laser irradiation of blood (iPBM) has been advocated to improve blood circulation and blood cell function to relieve insomnia and muscle soreness symptoms. Therefore, we assessed whether iPBM improves blood parameters and compared drug use before and after iPBM therapy. Methods Consecutive patients who received iPBM therapy between January 2013 and August 2021 were reviewed. The associations between laboratory data, pharmacotherapies, and iPBM therapy were retrospectively analyzed. We compared patient characteristics, blood parameters, and drug use within the three months before first treatment and the three months after last treatment. We also compared the changes before and after treatment in patients who received ≥ 10 and 1‒9 iPBM treatments. Result We assessed 183 eligible patients who received iPBM treatment. HGB and HCT significantly increased after treatment in both the ≥ 10 and 1–9 iPBM treatment groups (HGB p < 0.001 and p = 0.046; HCT p < 0.001 and p = 0.029, respectively). Pharmacotherapy analysis revealed no significant differences in drug use before and after treatment; though drug use tended to decrease after iPBM. Conclusion iPBM therapy is an efficient, beneficial, and feasible treatment that increases HGB and HCT. While the results of this study do not support the suggestion that iPBM reduces drug use, further larger studies using symptom scales are needed to confirm the changes in insomnia and muscle soreness after iPBM treatment.