Whole-Body Photobiomodulation Use in Professional Soccer Players During a State Championship (WBPBM-PSC)

November 21, 2025 updated by: Italo Amaral de Oliveira, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos
This study aims to investigate the effects of whole-body photobiomodulation on professional soccer players during a state championship. The primary question is whether photobiomodulation improves recovery, reduces muscle fatigue, and enhances performance compared to standard training without photobiomodulation.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Detailed Description:

This randomized, controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effects of whole-body photobiomodulation (PBM) on recovery and performance in professional soccer players during a state championship.

The intervention will be performed twice weekly on non-consecutive days for 8 weeks, in combination with each athlete's standard training routine. Participants will be allocated to either an active PBM group or a sham PBM group, both following identical procedures to maintain blinding.

Throughout the study, participants will complete scheduled assessments at baseline, during, and after the 8-week period to monitor performance, muscle soreness, and hematological responses. Data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical tests, with a significance level of 5% (two-tailed).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

24

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Brazil
    • São Paulo
      • Porto Feliz, São Paulo, Brazil, 18546412
        • Recruiting
        • Desportivo Brasil Training Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Italo A Oliveira, MSc

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male professional soccer players currently competing in the championship
  • Age 18-35 years
  • Training frequency ≥5 times per week
  • Able to attend all PBM/sham sessions and all assessments during the 8-week intervention
  • Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lower-limb musculoskeletal injury in the last 6 months or currently receiving treatment
  • Current use of phototherapy or any other recovery-enhancing modality
  • Chronic medical conditions that may affect performance or recovery
  • Known sensitivity or contraindication to light-based therapies
  • Inability to comply with the intervention or training schedule

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active PBM
Whole-body PBM delivered with a Joovv Elite System (6 LED panels; 660±10 nm red and 850±10 nm near-infrared; total panel area ≈12,193 cm²). Athlete stands ~20 cm from panels, wearing eye protection. Two exposures per session: 450 s anterior + 450 s posterior (total 15 min). Measured average irradiance ≈81.62 mW/cm² and energy density per region ≈25.71 J/cm² at 20 cm. Two sessions/week on non-consecutive days for 8 weeks, after routine training.
Radiation: Whole-Body Photobiomodulation (PBM) (Active PBM)
This intervention consists of whole-body photobiomodulation delivered using a full-body PBM device. Sessions are performed twice weekly on non-consecutive days for 8 weeks, coinciding with the athletes' standard training. The device emits therapeutic light at specified wavelengths and power, targeting the entire body. The protocol is standardized according to prior research, ensuring consistent exposure for all participants in the active arm. The intervention aims to improve muscle performance and recovery while reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Placebo Comparator: Sham PBM
Identical setup and schedule, but with therapeutic light disabled (placebo light only). Eye protection and blinding procedures identical to active PBM.
Radiation: Sham PBM

Intervention Description (Sham PBM):

Participants receive a sham photobiomodulation intervention using the same device and schedule, but without emission of therapeutic light. The procedure mimics the active intervention to maintain blinding while allowing comparison of outcomes, including muscle performance, DOMS, and blood markers.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
Time Frame: Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), and end of week 8 (T3).
Pain intensity measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS; 0-10 points; higher scores = worse pain) during a maximal voluntary knee-extension contraction in sitting. Pain location/extent captured with a standardized pain drawing (exploratory). Primary analysis uses NRS.
Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), and end of week 8 (T3).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Knee Extensor Strength (Hand-Held Dynamometry)
Time Frame: Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), end of week 8 (T3)
Peak force of dominant-leg knee extensors measured with a handheld dynamometer in standardized seated position; mean of two MVC attempts used for analysis.
Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), end of week 8 (T3)
Squat Jump (SJ) Height
Time Frame: Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), end of week 8 (T3) Unit: cm
Vertical jump height (cm) from Squat Jump (SJ) with hands on hips; mean of two trials; flight-time method on contact device.
Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), end of week 8 (T3) Unit: cm
Countermovement Jump (CMJ) Height
Time Frame: Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), end of week 8 (T3)
Vertical jump height (cm) from Countermovement Jump (CMJ) with hands on hips; mean of two trials; flight-time method on contact device.
Baseline (T1), weekly (T2, weeks 1-8), end of week 8 (T3)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Italo A Oliveira, MSc, Ufscar

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 4, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 4, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 1, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

November 5, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 24, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 21, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 84660524.7.0000.5504

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

At this time, the plan for sharing individual participant data (IPD) has not been determined. Decisions regarding data sharing will be made after study completion, considering participant privacy, ethical approvals, and applicable institutional policies.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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