{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T15:54:29Z","timestamp":1786463669181,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,14]],"date-time":"2022-03-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1647216000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["EJIHPE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Infrared radiation (IR) is a promising complementary treatment for musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain. By means of a systematic review, we evaluated the contribution of IR to the management of these ailments. PubMed-MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library\u2013Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched until 20 December 2021. The literature search yielded 233 relevant records. Following the screening of titles and abstracts, 42 full-texts were evaluated. As per inclusion\/exclusion criteria, 13 publications were entered into the qualitative assessment. These studies described the effects of IR in humans: three studies focused on osteoarthritis, four studies on fibromyalgia, and six encompassed a wider range of diseases (ankylosing spondylitis, recovery from sports injuries, myofascial pain syndrome). Based on the findings of our systematic review, we noted a decrease in pain levels, as evaluated by the visual analog scale (VAS), in patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders treated with IR. In addition, IR use led to a decrease in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FiQ) scores in subjects diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Nevertheless, IR has failed to facilitate muscle recovery following athletic injuries.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ejihpe12030024","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,15]],"date-time":"2022-03-15T03:06:10Z","timestamp":1647313570000},"page":"334-343","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Infrared Radiation in the Management of Musculoskeletal Conditions and Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4250-574X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christos","family":"Tsagkaris","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Blacktown 2770, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4981-8121","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreas S.","family":"Papazoglou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Naval Hospital of Athens, 15561 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Eleftheriades","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6570-0348","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stavros","family":"Tsakopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Athanasios","family":"Alexiou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Blacktown 2770, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7133-8875","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mihnea-Alexandru","family":"G\u0103man","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Hematology, Center of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Fundeni Clinical Institute, 022328 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9083-0267","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitrios V.","family":"Moysidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"15533506211041903","article-title":"Knowing When Not to Operate: Following the Footsteps of Demokidis of Crotone in Orthopaedics","volume":"13","author":"Tsagkaris","year":"2021","journal-title":"Surg. 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