Clinical and Experiential Outcomes of Photobiomodulation Therapy as a Treatment for Fibromyalgia: A Scoping Review in Response to NICE Recommendations

There is a recent growth in evidence around the use, value and impact of photobiomodulation therapy for individuals with fibromyalgia. However, the nature of the evidence, has, to the best of the authors’ knowledge not been presented within a scoping review. The objective of this work is to reveal the nature of the evidence, gaps in the evidence and map of the evidence considering photobiomodulation therapy against established policy guidelines. A scoping review was undertaken considering all academic evidence that has examined the experiences and impact of photobiomodulation therapy on individuals with fibromyalgia. Our results highlight that indeed there is plentiful data available to address a high proportion of concerns portrayed by the National Institute for Healthcare and Excellence. Outcome measures are wide ranging, albeit demonstrating heterogeneity, and results are extremely promising. Based on the current evidence base, the United Kingdom ‘standard of care’ for fibromyalgia needs to be ascertained, and stringent cost-effectiveness data needs to be collected and presented to governing bodies with the aim of integrating recommendations into future healthcare guidelines.