Photobiomodulation therapy before futsal matches improves the staying time of athletes in the court and accelerates post-exercise recovery

This study aimedto analyze PBMT effects on futsal player's performance and recovery in a non-controlled field environment. It is a randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial. The research included six professional athletes and in each match phototherapy treatments were performed before matches (40 minutes), blood samples were collectedbefore treatments, and samples immediately after the end of the matches and 48h after. Furthermore, videos were analyzed to quantify the time athletes spent on the pitch and the distance they covered. PBMT was performed at 17 sites of each lower limb (40 minsbeforematches), employing a cluster with 12 diodes (4 laser diodes of 905nm, 4 LEDs of 875nm, and 4 LEDs of 640nm, 30J per site). The performance of the athlete could be quantified considering the time on the pitch and the distance covered; the biochemical markers evaluated were creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, bloodlactate, and oxidative damage to lipids and proteins. PBMT significantly increased the time of staying in the pitch and a significant improvement in all the biochemical markers evaluated. No statistically significant difference was found for the distance covered. Pre-exercise PBMT can enhance performance and accelerate recovery of high-level futsal players.