Photobiomodulation in Peripheral Nervous System Disorders: A Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Research Patterns

This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of photobiomodulation (PBM) research in peripheral nervous system (PNS) disorders, aiming to characterize its structural features and developmental trends. Using a bibliometric workflow, a final dataset of 191 unique publications across 24 standardized PNS disease entities was identified through MeSH- and ICD-11-based classification from 14,670 records retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. The results show that PBM research has grown steadily since 2010 but remains concentrated in specific clinical conditions, particularly carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Keyword co-occurrence network analysis and functional classification identified three primary domains of PBM research: (1) pain modulation, (2) nerve regeneration and structural repair, and (3) biological/mechanistic regulation. The relative emphasis of these domains differed across disease groups, with compression and entrapment neuropathies emphasizing intervention parameters and assessment, nerve injury/regeneration research showing greater representation of structural repair and biological regulation, and neuropathic pain/neuropathy research showing a prominent pain-related component. Temporal analysis indicated diversification toward a broader range of neuropathic conditions and increasing representation of pain-related and biological themes. In conclusion, PBM research exhibits distinct functional patterns across PNS disease contexts. The function-oriented classification framework provides a structured basis for identifying research gaps and disease-specific research priorities.