Red Light therapy for pain.

Research-Validated Pain Management for Specific Conditions using Red Light Therapy

This section covers results specific to conditions that have been studied by researchers. While evidence of therapeutic benefits is growing, more research is needed to thoroughly examine the effects of red light on other conditions. To date, the relatively small body of peer-reviewed research shows red light therapy to have great promise for long-term use. There is an exponential growing boom in scientific research on this topic and it’s incredible to see the developments first hand.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that targets healthy joints, causing joint pain, inflammation, and reduced mobility.  A study found that using red light therapy reduced joint pain by 70% in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers compared with the placebo group. Patients also saw significant increases in palm flexibility and a reduction in morning stiffness.  

Osteoarthritis

This degenerative condition is caused by damage or breakdown of joint cartilage between bones. It primarily affects the fingers, thumbs, hips, knees, toes, and spine, and can be very painful.

A study of elderly patients found that Red and NIR Light treatment achieved remarkable results in reducing osteoarthritis knee pain. In total, 50 patients self-administered light therapy to both sides of the knee in two 15-minute sessions every day for 10 days. Of the 50, 15 used red light, 18 use near-infrared, and 17 used a placebo treatment. Both of the non-placebo groups showed a 50% reduction in pain over the control.

Return-to-Play After Injury

Athletes want to resume their sport as soon as possible after injury. This is especially true for elite athletes whose living depends on active participation, however an injury can also put the average person’s fitness goals back considerably, and the lack of gym and running habit that the injury can create can cause many to hang up their training shoes forever. It’s thus imperative to find any means to significantly reduce injury times.

A 2016 study published in the professional journal Laser Therapy showed a significant acceleration of return-to-play after two to six sessions using NIR light on the site of the injury. The average return-to-play of injured athletes (based on a wide range of injuries) treated with irradiation was 9.6 days, compared with 19.23 days in the placebo group. The researchers found that the 830nm waves enhanced blood flow, relaxed muscle spasms, reduced inflammation, and reduced the amount of time the participants felt pain.

Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain is a damage to the nervous system. Neuropathic pain can be severe enough to lead to loss of mobility and a diminished quality of life.

Sciatica is one example of a neuropathic pain condition. It refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down the legs. Often due to chronic constriction injury (compression of the sciatic nerve), sciatica causes inflammation, numbness, loss of strength in one or both legs, and sharp stabbing or dull pain.

A 2014 study by a team of researchers from Iran focused on sciatic pain in rats. The researchers found that both the 660nm (red light) and 980nm (infrared) wavelengths were effective at reducing this specific pain.

Low Back Pain

Many of us live our lives at a desk, from school to the workplace. We practice extremely unhealthy posture habits. Low back issues can also lead to knee pain as sufferers try to adjust their body mechanics to alleviate discomfort in the lumbar area.

One study by Canadian researchers focused on infrared therapy for low back pain. They found that near-infrared light (over 800nm) and infrared light (up to 1200nm) resulted in reduced chronic low back pain. We can all resonate with this feeling and doing all that we can to prevent having to grow haunched and in constant pain should be on the top of our list of priorities.  

Scar Pain

Scars that reside and form on top of joints can be painful, downright annoying and result in limited mobility. Softening scars and stimulating the growth of normal skin tissue can help ease pain over time, as well as improve the scars appearance. A 2010 clinical trial involved three patients who had scars from acne or surgery. After treatment with NIR light therapy for 30 days, they showed significant improvements.

How Quickly Does It Work?

As incredible and beneficial as red light therapy is, it is not an instant fix for pain. Rather than managing symptoms but ignoring the underlying causes of pain, Red Light Therapy enhances your health on a cellular level. In other words, it can alleviate chronic discomfort as the body “resets” itself as a result of the bioactive properties of Red and NIR Light.

Many chronic conditions can take several months of consistent irradiation with red light therapy before pain lessens or disappears. At Red Lab we recommend 3 months of intensive treatment courses (3 x a week). This time frame is a solid benchmark for the Red and NIR light to have performed many of its healing functions, before transitioning to a maintenance plan to constantly supplement your body and improve general well being and standard of living.

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