Red Light Therapy for Back Pain

Back pain can affect individuals of all ages and can be caused by various health problems, from muscle and ligament strains to spine and vertebrae fractures. Beyond physiotherapy, a complementary treatment option exists to relieve back pain. Red Light Therapy for back pain, in particular, is becoming more widely accepted as a possible treatment option for people with osteoarthritis, tendinitis, and other back musculoskeletal disorders.

ARRC LED’s 6-wavelength formula adds Green light adds to the analgesic effect of red light therapy on nerves. Green stacks an additional pain pathway to the benefits of Red and Near Infrared light.

Mechanism of work of Red light Therapy for back pain

The studies suggest that infrared light can promote faster healing by penetrating deep into the skin and improving blood circulation in the body, thus relieving pain. Red, near-infrared light has an analgesic effect on the nerve fibers.

When infrared light reaches the cells, mitochondria absorb it, increasing the cell’s metabolism and stimulating muscle, bone, skin, and subcutaneous tissue healing. Improving the metabolism of the cells will increase blood flow, and increased blood flow will help bring oxygenated blood and nutrients to the all body. Increased blood flow also allows the body’s waste to be drained faster.

Devices such as the Red Light Therapy bed are considered a good choice for patients who want to try non-invasive and pain-free therapy for their back pain.

Side effects

Researchers generally consider Red Light Therapy for back pain to be safe and without side effects if used as directed. RLT is considered not toxic and non invasive. RLT does not use potentially harmful UV wavelengths.

Research

Forty patients with chronic low back pain were recruited and randomly assigned to IR therapy or placebo treatment in one study on the possible effects of Red Light Therapy for back pain management. One patient dropped out of the placebo group, 21 received IR therapy, and 18 received placebo therapy. Two small units provided the IR therapy in a sturdy waistband powered by small, rechargeable batteries. The treated group received IR therapy, and the placebo group had identical units without power. Patients attended seven weekly sessions, and researchers recorded one baseline and six weekly values. The principal outcome measure was pain rated on the numerical rating scale (NRS). The pain was assessed overall, then rotating and bending in different directions. The mean NRS scores in the treatment group fell from 6.9 of 10 to 3 of 10 at the end of the study. The mean NRS in the placebo group fell from 7.4 of 10 to 6 of 10. The IR therapy unit effectively reduced chronic low back pain, and no adverse effects were observed.

Source: Infrared therapy for chronic low back pain: A randomized, controlled trial

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Red light Therapy sessions are needed to reduce back pain?

According to most research, you must go through at least six weeks of treatment sessions to fully benefit from the treatment. In practice, LED Light Therapy beds have been shown to release some forms of pain in as little as a single session.

How does Red light Therapy help with back pain management?

Red Light Therapy has an analgesic effect on nerve fibers, while green reduces pain through a different pathway. Researchers are also concluding that red light can promote healing by penetrating deep into the skin and improving blood circulation in the body, thus easing pain.