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Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy at 904 nm mitigates effects of exercise-induced skeletal muscle fatigue in young women

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Abstract

Muscle fatigue is a process influenced by several mechanisms such as concentration of metabolic substrates, changes in blood flow, and increases in reactive oxygen species that impair contractile muscle function. In this context, photobiomodulation has been investigated for preventing muscle fatigue, with reports of positive effects on muscle performance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 904-nm LASER photobiomodulation on rectus femoris muscle performance in young women. Eighteen young women participated in a randomized, participant and assessor-blinded crossover trial with placebo control. Active LASER (904 nm, 60 mW, 250 Hz, 3.6 J per diode, total dose of 129.6 J) intervention was applied prior to an isokinetic fatigue protocol consisting of a set of 60 concentric quadricep contractions at a constant dynamometer angular velocity of 180°/s. Compared to placebo, LASER photobiomodulation significantly reduced muscle fatigue across a range of indicators including reduced ratings of perceived exertion (P = 0.0139), and increased electromyographic fatigue index (EFI) (P = 0.005). The isokinetic dynamometer performance analysis demonstrated that LASER photobiomodulation increased peak torque (P = 0.04), time to peak torque (P = 0.042), total work (P = 0.032), average power (P = 0.0007), and average peak torque (P = 0.019) between both experimental conditions. No significant difference was observed for work fatigue index (P = 0.29) or for lactate concentration (P > 0.05). Photobiomodulation at 904 nm was effective in reducing fatigue levels and increasing muscle performance in young active women but had no effect on lactate levels.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Minas Gerais State Agency for Research and Development (FAPEMIG) for their financial support. The authors declared no conflicts of interest existed with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosciences, Federal University of São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Av. Ana Costa, 95, Santos, SP, 11060-001, Brazil

    Renata Luri Toma & Ana Cláudia Muniz Renno

  2. Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys, UFVJM, Rodovia MGT 367-Km 583, No. 5000, Diamantina, MG, 39100-000, Brazil

    Murilo Xavier Oliveira

  3. Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Southport, Qld, Gold Coast, 4222, Australia

    E-Liisa Laakso

  4. Mater Research, Level 2 Aubigny Place, South Brisbane, Qld, 4101, Australia

    E-Liisa Laakso

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  1. Renata Luri Toma
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Correspondence to E-Liisa Laakso.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Toma, R.L., Oliveira, M.X., Renno, A.C.M. et al. Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy at 904 nm mitigates effects of exercise-induced skeletal muscle fatigue in young women. Lasers Med Sci 33, 1197–1205 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-018-2454-4

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