Home-Based Photobiomodulation Effects in the Postoperative Period of Distal Radius Fractures

Home-Based Photobiomodulation Effects in the Postoperative Period of Distal Radius Fractures: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial

This double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the adjuvant effect of home-based photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy on the rehabilitation of surgically treated DRFs combined with an unsupervised home exercise program. A total of 42 participants will be randomly allocated into two groups. The Control Group will undergo the standard surgical procedure, perform the prescribed home exercises recommended by the hospital service, and use an inactive LED plate (photobiomodulation device). The PBM Group will follow the same surgical and exercise protocols but will use an active PBM device. Home exercises will begin 24 hours after surgery and should be performed twice daily for a total of 12 weeks. The device will be applied once daily to the wrist for 12 minutes (6 minutes on the dorsal side and 6 minutes on the palmar side). The primary outcome will be functional wrist assessment using the QuickDASH (Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) questionnaire at 2 weeks. Secondary outcomes will include wrist range of motion, grip strength, wrist function, and pain (assessed using the PRWE-BR instrument), as well as fracture healing. Assessments will be performed at 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks post-surgery, except for bone consolidation (assessed starting at week 4) and for pain and range of motion, which will also be evaluated at 24 hours.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Distal Radius Fracture
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with locked volar plate; Procedure: Home exercises; Device: Active photobiomodulation; Device: Inactive photobiomodulation

Detailed Description

Distal radius fracture (DRF) is one of the most common fractures in adults. Its treatment can be either conservative or surgical; however, regardless of the treatment method, it is often associated with pain, loss of function and grip strength, joint stiffness, prolonged absence from work, and even loss of fracture reduction. This double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the adjuvant effect of home-based photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy on the rehabilitation of surgically treated DRFs combined with an unsupervised home exercise program. A total of 42 participants will be randomly allocated into two groups (1:1 ratio). The Control Group will undergo the standard surgical procedure, perform the prescribed home exercises recommended by the hospital service, and use an inactive LED plate (photobiomodulation device). The PBM Group will follow the same surgical and exercise protocols but will use an active PBM device. Home exercises will begin 24 hours after surgery and should be performed twice daily for a total of 12 weeks. The LED plate will contain 100 light-emitting diodes, distributed as follows: 18 LEDs at 630 nm (23 mW; 117 J/cm²; 8 J per LED); 18 LEDs at 680 nm (20 mW; 102 J/cm²; 7 J per LED); 32 LEDs at 760 nm (24 mW; 122 J/cm²; 9 J per LED); and 32 LEDs at 830 nm (28 mW; 143 J/cm²; 10 J per LED). The device will be applied once daily to the wrist for 12 minutes (6 minutes on the dorsal side and 6 minutes on the palmar side). The primary outcome will be functional wrist assessment using the QuickDASH (Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) questionnaire at two weeks. Secondary outcomes will include wrist range of motion, grip strength, wrist function, and pain (assessed using the PRWE-BR instrument), as well as fracture healing. Participants will be blinded to their group allocation and will be evaluated by four researchers who are also blinded to the allocation. Assessments will be performed at 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks post-surgery, except for bone consolidation (assessed starting at week 4) and for pain and range of motion, which will also be evaluated at 24 hours. In addition to these scheduled assessments, each participant will be followed up with daily phone contact. All collected data will be stored and organized in a secure repository, and appropriate statistical tests will be applied for each specific analysis. A significance level of 5% will be adopted for all tests.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 42
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Kristianne PS Fernandes, PhD; Phone Number: +551133859287; Email: Kristianne Porta <kristianneporta@gmail.com>

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • São Paulo, Brazil, 03807-230
    • Recruiting
    • ACN Municipal Hospital
    • Contact: Nilton I Takahashi, MD; Phone Number: +55 11 3394-8030

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria:

• Adults aged 18 to 65 years,
• Both sexes,
• Patients with isolated, closed distal radius fractures with displacement and surgical indication,
• Surgical indication defined by instability criteria:
• Dorsal tilt of the distal fragment >20°,
• Radial shortening ≥10 mm,
• Articular incongruity,
• Dorsal comminution,
• Fractures classified as Fernandez types I, II, or III,
• Fractures classified as AO/OTA types 2R3A2, 2R3A3, 2R3B, or 2R3C (except 2R3C3).

Exclusion criteria:

• Previous wrist injuries, sequelae, or motor deficits due to neurological lesions,
• Pathological fractures,
• Ipsilateral fractures in other regions of the limb,
• Neurovascular injury with sensory deficit at the fracture site,
• Local or systemic contraindications to surgery or postoperative recovery,
• History of photosensitivity,
• Neurological and/or psychiatric disorders,
• Proliferative or infectious skin lesions at the wrist region,
• Pregnancy,
• Surgical complications (neurological or vascular injuries, or fracture line extension) - excluded from analysis but reported.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Active photobiomodulation; Active photobiomodulation wrist brace containing 100 LEDs; 18 LEDs at 630 nm (23 mW; 117 J/cm²; 8 J per LED); 18 LEDs at 680 nm (20 mW; 102 J/cm²; 7 J per LED); 32 LEDs at 760 nm (24 mW; 122 J/cm²; 9 J per LED); 32 LEDs at 830 nm (28 mW; 143 J/cm²; 10 J per LED)	Procedure: Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with locked volar plate; All participants will undergo open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with a locked volar plate, without postoperative immobilization.; Procedure: Home exercises; Unsupervised protocol twice daily for 12 weeks, starting 24 hours post-surgery; Device: Active photobiomodulation; The intervention consists of an active photobiomodulation wrist brace equipped with 100 light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including 18 LEDs at 630 nm delivering 23 mW of power, 117 J/cm², and 8 J per LED; 18 LEDs at 680 nm delivering 20 mW of power, 102 J/cm², and 7 J per LED; 32 LEDs at 760 nm delivering 24 mW of power, 122 J/cm², and 9 J per LED; and 32 LEDs at 830 nm delivering 28 mW of power, 143 J/cm², and 10 J per LED. The device will be applied once daily for a total of 12 minutes, with six minutes directed to the dorsal aspect of the wrist and six minutes to the volar aspect, over a 12-week period.
Sham Comparator: Inactive photobiomodulation; Inactive LED wrist plate, identical in appearance and sound but without active LEDs	Procedure: Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with locked volar plate; All participants will undergo open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with a locked volar plate, without postoperative immobilization.; Procedure: Home exercises; Unsupervised protocol twice daily for 12 weeks, starting 24 hours post-surgery; Device: Inactive photobiomodulation; The intervention consists of an inactive LED wrist plate that is identical in appearance and sound to the active device but contains no active LEDs. It will be applied once daily for 12 minutes, during which the device will emit only activation light and sound, without delivering therapeutic irradiation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Quick-DASH functional scale - 2 weeks	In this project, the disability/symptom component of the QuickDASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) score, validated for Brazil and available online (https://dash.iwh.on.ca/sites/dash/public/translations/Scoring_QuickDASH_Portuguese_Brazil.pdf ), will be used as presented in Appendix 2. The calculation of the Disability/Symptom Score will follow the official instructions provided by the developers. At least 10 of the 11 items must be answered, and each item has a maximum value of 5. The total score is then transformed to a 0-100 scale by subtracting 1 from the mean of the responses and multiplying the result by 25, a procedure that allows comparison with other scales standardized on a 0-100 range. In this context, higher scores indicate greater disability, and the QuickDASH score is therefore expressed according to the following formula: [(Sum of responses / n) -1] X 25, where n: number of questions answered	up to 2 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Quick-DASH functional scale - 4 weeks	In this project, the disability/symptom component of the QuickDASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) score, validated for Brazil and available online (https://dash.iwh.on.ca/sites/dash/public/translations/Scoring_QuickDASH_Portuguese_Brazil.pdf ), will be used as presented in Appendix 2. The calculation of the Disability/Symptom Score will follow the official instructions provided by the developers. At least 10 of the 11 items must be answered, and each item has a maximum value of 5. The total score is then transformed to a 0-100 scale by subtracting 1 from the mean of the responses and multiplying the result by 25, a procedure that allows comparison with other scales standardized on a 0-100 range. In this context, higher scores indicate greater disability, and the QuickDASH score is therefore expressed according to the following formula: [(Sum of responses / n) -1] X 25, where n: number of questions answered	up to 4 weeks
Quick-DASH functional scale - 6 weeks	In this project, the disability/symptom component of the QuickDASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) score, validated for Brazil and available online (https://dash.iwh.on.ca/sites/dash/public/translations/Scoring_QuickDASH_Portuguese_Brazil.pdf ), will be used as presented in Appendix 2. The calculation of the Disability/Symptom Score will follow the official instructions provided by the developers. At least 10 of the 11 items must be answered, and each item has a maximum value of 5. The total score is then transformed to a 0-100 scale by subtracting 1 from the mean of the responses and multiplying the result by 25, a procedure that allows comparison with other scales standardized on a 0-100 range. In this context, higher scores indicate greater disability, and the QuickDASH score is therefore expressed according to the following formula: [(Sum of responses / n) -1] X 25, where n: number of questions answered	up to 6 weeks
Quick-DASH functional scale - 12 weeks	In this project, the disability/symptom component of the QuickDASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) score, validated for Brazil and available online (https://dash.iwh.on.ca/sites/dash/public/translations/Scoring_QuickDASH_Portuguese_Brazil.pdf ), will be used as presented in Appendix 2. The calculation of the Disability/Symptom Score will follow the official instructions provided by the developers. At least 10 of the 11 items must be answered, and each item has a maximum value of 5. The total score is then transformed to a 0-100 scale by subtracting 1 from the mean of the responses and multiplying the result by 25, a procedure that allows comparison with other scales standardized on a 0-100 range. In this context, higher scores indicate greater disability, and the QuickDASH score is therefore expressed according to the following formula: [(Sum of responses / n) -1] X 25, where n: number of questions answered	up to 12 weeks
Pain - 24 hours	Spontaneous pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) with numerical, color, and facial expression indicators (mild, moderate, severe) to facilitate participant understanding. Pain occurrence will also be recorded during daily monitoring and documented in the participant's control sheet.	up to 24 hours
Pain - 2 weeks	Spontaneous pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) with numerical, color, and facial expression indicators (mild, moderate, severe) to facilitate participant understanding. Pain occurrence will also be recorded during daily monitoring and documented in the participant's control sheet.	up to 2 weeks
Pain - 4 weeks	Spontaneous pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) with numerical, color, and facial expression indicators (mild, moderate, severe) to facilitate participant understanding. Pain occurrence will also be recorded during daily monitoring and documented in the participant's control sheet.	up to 4 weeks
Pain - 6 weeks	Spontaneous pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) with numerical, color, and facial expression indicators (mild, moderate, severe) to facilitate participant understanding. Pain occurrence will also be recorded during daily monitoring and documented in the participant's control sheet.	up to 6 weeks
Pain - 12 weeks	Spontaneous pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) with numerical, color, and facial expression indicators (mild, moderate, severe) to facilitate participant understanding. Pain occurrence will also be recorded during daily monitoring and documented in the participant's control sheet.	up to 12 weeks
Analgesic consumption - 2 weeks	Type and dosage of analgesics, as well as daily use or non-use, will be recorded in the participant's control sheet.	up to 2 weeks
Analgesic consumption - 4 weeks	Type and dosage of analgesics, as well as daily use or non-use, will be recorded in the participant's control sheet.	up to 4 weeks
Analgesic consumption - 6 weeks	Type and dosage of analgesics, as well as daily use or non-use, will be recorded in the participant's control sheet.	up to 6 weeks
Analgesic consumption - 12 weeks	Type and dosage of analgesics, as well as daily use or non-use, will be recorded in the participant's control sheet.	up to 12 weeks
PRWE-BR Questionnaire - Pain and Disability - 2 weeks	In the PRWE-BR questionnaire, the 15 items are scored from 0 to 10, covering two domains: pain and disability. The pain domain score is obtained by summing the responses to the five corresponding items, whereas the functional domain score is calculated by summing the responses to the ten corresponding items and subsequently dividing the result by two. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with each domain having a maximum of 50 points. Higher scores indicate greater levels of dysfunction and pain reported by the participant.	up to 2 weeks
PRWE-BR Questionnaire - Pain and Disability - 4 weeks	In the PRWE-BR questionnaire, the 15 items are scored from 0 to 10, covering two domains: pain and disability. The pain domain score is obtained by summing the responses to the five corresponding items, whereas the functional domain score is calculated by summing the responses to the ten corresponding items and subsequently dividing the result by two. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with each domain having a maximum of 50 points. Higher scores indicate greater levels of dysfunction and pain reported by the participant.	up to 4 weeks
PRWE-BR Questionnaire - Pain and Disability - 6 weeks	In the PRWE-BR questionnaire, the 15 items are scored from 0 to 10, covering two domains: pain and disability. The pain domain score is obtained by summing the responses to the five corresponding items, whereas the functional domain score is calculated by summing the responses to the ten corresponding items and subsequently dividing the result by two. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with each domain having a maximum of 50 points. Higher scores indicate greater levels of dysfunction and pain reported by the participant.	up to 6 weeks
PRWE-BR Questionnaire - Pain and Disability - 12 weeks	In the PRWE-BR questionnaire, the 15 items are scored from 0 to 10, covering two domains: pain and disability. The pain domain score is obtained by summing the responses to the five corresponding items, whereas the functional domain score is calculated by summing the responses to the ten corresponding items and subsequently dividing the result by two. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with each domain having a maximum of 50 points. Higher scores indicate greater levels of dysfunction and pain reported by the participant.	up to 12 weeks
Range of Motion -24 hours	Passive wrist range of motion will be assessed bilaterally using a fleximeter (Sanny, model FL 6010, SBC, São Paulo, Brazil). The evaluator will record the maximum tolerated position for flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation, pronation, and supination. For each movement, three measurements will be performed and the mean value will be calculated.	up to 24 hours
Range of Motion - 2 weeks	Passive wrist range of motion will be assessed bilaterally using a fleximeter (Sanny, model FL 6010, SBC, São Paulo, Brazil). The evaluator will record the maximum tolerated position for flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation, pronation, and supination. For each movement, three measurements will be performed and the mean value will be calculated.	up to 2 weeks
Range of Motion - 4 weeks	Passive wrist range of motion will be assessed bilaterally using a fleximeter (Sanny, model FL 6010, SBC, São Paulo, Brazil). The evaluator will record the maximum tolerated position for flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation, pronation, and supination. For each movement, three measurements will be performed and the mean value will be calculated..	up to 4 weeks
Range of Motion - 6 weeks	Passive wrist range of motion will be assessed bilaterally using a fleximeter (Sanny, model FL 6010, SBC, São Paulo, Brazil). The evaluator will record the maximum tolerated position for flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation, pronation, and supination. For each movement, three measurements will be performed and the mean value will be calculated..	up to 6 weeks
Range of Motion - 12 weeks	Passive wrist range of motion will be assessed bilaterally using a fleximeter (Sanny, model FL 6010, SBC, São Paulo, Brazil). The evaluator will record the maximum tolerated position for flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation, pronation, and supination. For each movement, three measurements will be performed and the mean value will be calculated.	up to 12 weeks
Grip Strength - 2 weeks	Grip strength will be assessed using a digital dynamometer (Instrutherm, model DM-90, São Paulo, Brazil). Participants will be seated with elbows flexed at 90°, forearms neutral, and wrists in slight extension. Three measurements will be performed per limb at each session, alternating between injured and uninjured sides, with a 30-second rest. If the third attempt is the highest, further trials will be added until values decrease. The mean of the three highest values per limb will be recorded as grip strength. For right-dominant limbs, a 10% adjustment will be applied.	up to 12 weeks
Grip Strength - 4 weeks	Grip strength will be assessed using a digital dynamometer (Instrutherm, model DM-90, São Paulo, Brazil). Participants will be seated with elbows flexed at 90°, forearms neutral, and wrists in slight extension. Three measurements will be performed per limb at each session, alternating between injured and uninjured sides, with a 30-second rest. If the third attempt is the highest, further trials will be added until values decrease. The mean of the three highest values per limb will be recorded as grip strength. For right-dominant limbs, a 10% adjustment will be applied.	up to 4 weeks
Grip Strength - 6 weeks	Grip strength will be assessed using a digital dynamometer (Instrutherm, model DM-90, São Paulo, Brazil). Participants will be seated with elbows flexed at 90°, forearms neutral, and wrists in slight extension. Three measurements will be performed per limb at each session, alternating between injured and uninjured sides, with a 30-second rest. If the third attempt is the highest, further trials will be added until values decrease. The mean of the three highest values per limb will be recorded as grip strength. For right-dominant limbs, a 10% adjustment will be applied.	up to 6 weeks
Grip Strength - 12 weeks	Grip strength will be assessed using a digital dynamometer (Instrutherm, model DM-90, São Paulo, Brazil). Participants will be seated with elbows flexed at 90°, forearms neutral, and wrists in slight extension. Three measurements will be performed per limb at each session, alternating between injured and uninjured sides, with a 30-second rest. If the third attempt is the highest, further trials will be added until values decrease. The mean of the three highest values per limb will be recorded as grip strength. For right-dominant limbs, a 10% adjustment will be applied.	up to 12 weeks
Fracture Healing- 4 weeks	Wrist radiographs in posteroanterior, lateral, and oblique views will be obtained at 4, 6, and 12 weeks to assess bone healing, defined as the presence of callus formation bridging three of the four cortices and uniting the main fracture fragments, compared with the immediate postoperative radiograph. At the end of each follow-up visit, participants will receive written instructions regarding the care to be taken in each phase of treatment, along with the date of the next appointment.	up to 4 weeks
Fracture Healing- 6 weeks	Wrist radiographs in posteroanterior, lateral, and oblique views will be obtained at 4, 6, and 12 weeks to assess bone healing, defined as the presence of callus formation bridging three of the four cortices and uniting the main fracture fragments, compared with the immediate postoperative radiograph. At the end of each follow-up visit, participants will receive written instructions regarding the care to be taken in each phase of treatment, along with the date of the next appointment.	up to 6 weeks
Fracture Healing- 12 weeks	Wrist radiographs in posteroanterior, lateral, and oblique views will be obtained at 4, 6, and 12 weeks to assess bone healing, defined as the presence of callus formation bridging three of the four cortices and uniting the main fracture fragments, compared with the immediate postoperative radiograph. At the end of each follow-up visit, participants will receive written instructions regarding the care to be taken in each phase of treatment, along with the date of the next appointment.	up to 12 weeks
Costs Related to Procedures	The costs will be assessed from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) as the purchaser of services. Direct costs of the procedures performed during the study period will be considered, including the value of materials used, professional fees, hospital costs, and costs associated with productivity loss due to time away from work. The sources of cost data in Brazilian currency (Real) will include the ComprasNet database, SIGTAP, and the Price Bank of the Ministry of Health. The final analysis of cost-effectiveness and incremental cost will follow the Methodological Guidelines: Economic Evaluation Studies of Health Technologies and the National Policy on Health Technology Management.	up to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Nove de Julho
• Investigators: Study Director: Kristianne PS Fernandes, PhD, University of Nove de Julho

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 5, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 20, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 20, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: photobiomodulation; early mobility; distal radius; locked volar plate
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Fractures, Bone; Arm Injuries; Wrist Injuries; Wrist Fractures; Therapeutics; Surgical Procedures, Operative; Orthopedic Procedures; Fracture Fixation; Open Fracture Reduction; Fracture Fixation, Internal
• Other Study ID Numbers: 6.809.544

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: • The collected data will be stored and organized in a repository and appropriate statistical tests will be applied to specific analyses.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will be shared at study completion
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Data will be shared upon request after study completion.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No