{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T23:47:01Z","timestamp":1788824821375,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772755200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002322","name":"Coordena\u00e7\u00e3o de Aperfei\u00e7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00edvel Superior","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["88887.085042\/2024-00"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["88887.085042\/2024-00"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medical Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Tissue trauma related to operative vaginal delivery or the use of episiotomy has been associated with complications such as pain and infection, and successful management is a key factor in promoting a faster and better recovery after delivery. Strategies that promote analgesia and tissue regeneration are especially relevant in obstetric care. Background\/Objectives: To evaluate the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) on pain and perineal healing in women who underwent episiotomy or sustained second- and third-degree lacerations after vaginal delivery. Methods: Observational cohort study. PBM is routinely offered postpartum as an adjuvant to standard hospital treatment daily throughout hospitalization for postpartum women who underwent episiotomy or second- and third-degree lacerations after vaginal delivery, recruited over a prospective 6-month period. The treatment protocol used an 808 nm laser at 100 mW, applied to five perilesional points at 4 J\/cm2 daily during hospitalization. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis and two-way ANOVA were used to compare subgroups of patients who agreed to receive adjuvant PBM and those who did not, in addition to conventional treatment. Daily pain was assessed using the numerical pain scale (NPS) before and after PBM and conventional treatment, and healing was evaluated using the REEDA scale. Results: Data from 149 PBM-treated women and 34 non-PBM-treated women were analyzed. After PSM matching, a mean difference in NPS scores of 1.6761 (standard error = 0.4379) was observed between the group submitted to two laser sessions and the no-laser group, indicating a statistically significant difference (F = 14.65; Pr = 0.000191). A significant decrease in NPS scores was observed with ANOVA before and after each PBM application (p &lt; 0.05), over the three days of follow-up. Regarding the REEDA scale, the preliminary results indicate a trend toward lower scores (better outcomes) in the laser group, an effect that larger studies could confirm. Conclusions: PBM was associated with improvements in pain reduction and tissue healing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medsci14010125","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T14:43:07Z","timestamp":1772808187000},"page":"125","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Effects of Photobiomodulation Therapy on Pain and Healing of Episiotomies and Grade 2 and 3 Perineal Lacerations After Vaginal Delivery: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Luir Jose Ruaro","family":"Filho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biophotonics-Medicine Post-Graduate Program, Universidade Nove de Julho\u2014UNINOVE, 249 Av Vergueiro, Liberdade, S\u00e3o Paulo 01504-001, SP, Brazil"},{"name":"Hospital Universit\u00e1rio Materno-Infantil, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa 84010-330, PR, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M\u00f4nica Vieira","family":"Barcellos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Universit\u00e1rio Materno-Infantil, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa 84010-330, PR, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Flavia Bezerra Provazi","family":"Pesci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Universit\u00e1rio Materno-Infantil, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa 84010-330, PR, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Larissa","family":"Camargo e Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Universit\u00e1rio Materno-Infantil, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa 84010-330, PR, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juliana Carla Eleut\u00e9rio","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Universit\u00e1rio Materno-Infantil, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa 84010-330, PR, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexia","family":"Jacobs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Universit\u00e1rio Materno-Infantil, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa 84010-330, PR, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana Fl\u00e1via Ara\u00fajo","family":"Litwinczuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biophotonics-Medicine Post-Graduate Program, Universidade Nove de Julho\u2014UNINOVE, 249 Av Vergueiro, Liberdade, S\u00e3o Paulo 01504-001, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Fernanda Set\u00fabal Destro","family":"Rodrigues","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biophotonics-Medicine Post-Graduate Program, Universidade Nove de Julho\u2014UNINOVE, 249 Av Vergueiro, Liberdade, S\u00e3o Paulo 01504-001, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7774-4345","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lara Jansiski","family":"Motta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biophotonics-Medicine Post-Graduate Program, Universidade Nove de Julho\u2014UNINOVE, 249 Av Vergueiro, Liberdade, S\u00e3o Paulo 01504-001, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1168-8325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos Souto","family":"dos Santos Filho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate Program in Statistics, Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Scientific Computing, State University of Campinas\u2014UNICAMP, Rua S\u00e9rgio Buarque de Holanda, 651, Campinas 13083-859, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5675-6665","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rebeca Boltes","family":"Cecatto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biophotonics-Medicine Post-Graduate Program, Universidade Nove de Julho\u2014UNINOVE, 249 Av Vergueiro, Liberdade, S\u00e3o Paulo 01504-001, SP, Brazil"},{"name":"Rehabilitation Service of the Instituto de Reabilita\u00e7\u00e3o Lucy Montoro, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo, S\u00e3o Paulo 05716-150, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1298","DOI":"10.1111\/anae.14776","article-title":"Development of Evidence-based Recommendations for Procedure-specific Pain Management: PROSPECT Methodology","volume":"74","author":"Joshi","year":"2019","journal-title":"Anaesthesia"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpain.2015.12.008","article-title":"Management of Postoperative Pain: A 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