Anyone who has suffered from ongoing issues like joint pain, arthritis, injury recovery or strained muscles knows how frustrating it can be. Whether through ageing joints or overdoing it in the gym, muscle and joint pain is a common concern.ย
Rather than relying on over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, you can work more closely to target the root of the problem using red light therapy. While you may be familiar with red light therapy for things like skin conditions, in particular the increasing popularity of red light face masks for anti-ageing, the benefits donโt end there.ย
If youโve been looking for better ways to manage pain and support your body post-workout or through injury rehabilitation, red light may be the perfect addition to your routine. Discover how it works and the best ways you can incorporate it into your weekly self-care rituals.ย
How Red Light Therapy Alleviates Pain
Red light therapy operates at a cellular level in a similar way that being exposed to sunlight does. Red light has much lower temperatures than the sun and also doesnโt expose your skin to damaging rays like UVA or UVB. Instead, the near-infrared light stimulates the mitochondria in your cells, which are the part of the cell thatโs responsible for the generation of energy. Typically, these cells will get their fuel from food youโve consumed but light can also have a similar effect. When your cells have more energy, theyโre more able to function as theyโre meant to.ย
Your body experiences pain by the nerves throughout your body sending signals to your brain, alerting you that something is damaged or hurt. The frequency of light that red light is on can penetrate the top layer of your skin, up to 1mm to 2mm deep, which is where many nerve endings are located.ย
By targeting both the skin tissue and nerve cells themselves, red light can help alleviate pain while simultaneously boosting your bodyโs ability to heal on a more cellular level. Rather than dulling the sensations of pain with medication, when you use red light therapy to help your body heal, you can reduce the pain level but also target the root cause of the condition causing you pain.ย
Red Light Therapy Panels At Home
Whether you have a smaller panel thatโs more portable or a large red light panel that can be hung up, setting them up is simple. Youโll want to arrange them so theyโre easily accessible for the area youโre treating, whether thatโs a single joint or your whole body.ย
Depending on the location and pain youโre managing, you may want to increase your number of sessions over time. We recommend starting out with at least two sessions initially, building up to five per week. Typically, 10 to 15 minutes is enough. Your skin and cells can only absorb so much energy from the red LED lights, so you wonโt need to wait under the lights for extended periods to get the most out of your treatment.ย
Chronic Pain Management and Joint Pain Reliefย
Red light therapy can ease some discomfort when managing ongoing chronic pain for health concerns like arthritis. It primarily works to help reduce inflammation, making joints more mobile and less swollen.ย
Red light therapy has also been found to have a positive impact on people who suffer from muscle dysfunctions like TMJ (temporomandibular joint) dysfunction. One study showed that with regular treatment, the subjects had less jaw pain and tenderness, along with less clicking after consistent red light treatment.ย
Muscle Recoveryย
Whether through strenuous exercise or an accidental strain from everyday activities, muscle recovery is a minor nuisance that many people go through on a regular basis. For athletes, in particular, youโll know that recovery and rehabilitation from exercise are as important as the workout itself.ย
Red light therapy can aid in recovery by stimulating the nerves and increasing blood flow. Having fresh, oxygenated blood will mean your body is less likely to experience the inflammatory effects of exercise. More blood flow not only helps to remove the build up of lactic acid but also facilitates healing of the microtears that your muscles attain through exercise. Along with post-workout stretching, red light therapy can be used multiple times throughout the week and is optimal for the 24 to 72-hour period when muscle stiffness is typically at its peak.ย
Combination Treatment With Far-Infrared Light
Along with the inflammation-reducing properties of near-infrared light, you may also want to combine your red light therapy panel with a far-infrared sauna. While red light panels can target the surface level layers of your tissues, infrared light can go deeper, up to 2 cm. This combination of treatments giving you a more comprehensive and holistic approach to pain management and muscle recovery.ย
They both use red light but at different frequencies. Red light panels are on the visible wavelength at 630nm and 850nm, while infrared is much higher at 1,000nm to 1,000,000nm. You canโt see infrared light; rather, you experience it as heat. In the same way that you can control your red light therapy panels with how bright they are, you can also adjust the temperature of your infrared sauna to suit your needs.ย
Whether itโs for muscle recovery or pain relief for achy joints, using a combination treatment can amplify the benefits. Infrared saunas are another wonderful option for boosting your blood flow and improving cardiovascular health.ย
Experience the difference of red light for yourself with the Kiva Wellness range of high-performance LED red light panels. Or, for combination treatment with infrared saunas and red light panels included, you can explore our exclusive product bundles.ย
If youโd like to see our full range in person, come and visit us at our showroom. For those not in Queensland, you can contact us anytime online or give us a call. Weโre more than happy to give you personal recommendations and answer any questions you may have when choosing the best treatment options for you.ย