Effectiveness of Low-Intensity Light Therapy in the Control of Pain and Healing

This umbrella review with meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of low-intensity light therapy in reducing postoperative pain and promoting tissue healing in different surgical scenarios. The review also sought to examine the consistency of results across existing systematic reviews, highlight methodological strengths and weaknesses, and generate pooled estimates for pain reduction and healing indicators.

A comprehensive search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library. Eligible studies included systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis that investigated low-intensity light therapy, including low-level laser and LED-based interventions, applied during the postoperative period. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, data extraction and evaluation of methodological quality using AMSTAR 2. Overlap among primary studies was mapped to avoid bias in the pooled estimates. Random-effects models were used for quantitative synthesis, and heterogeneity was assessed through I² statistics.

The findings indicate that low-intensity light therapy reduces postoperative pain during the first 72 hours and contributes to faster wound healing, enhanced tissue repair and decreased inflammatory response. The magnitude of the effects varied according to wavelength, dosage and timing of application. Although moderate to high heterogeneity was observed, the overall evidence supports low-intensity light therapy as a promising adjunct for postoperative management. Future studies should adopt standardized protocols to improve comparability and support more robust clinical guidelines.