How Does Red Light Therapy Help with Pain?
Pain is a subjective occurrence, and as they say in the medical field "pain is what the patient says it is." Meaning, pain is virtually immeasurable but undeniable in its existence. The reason that a person experiences pain is typically related to the presence of an inflammatory process or poor circulation on a microscopic level. This is where red light therapy becomes useful for remediating pain.
Inflammation caused by injury or disease process can cause pain, as it is likely restricting blood flow to the area of injury. Not to mention interfering with the nerve pathways of the afflicted area. By reducing inflammation, the blood flow of the injured site can return to normal, and nerve pathways will be relieved from the stress they were enduring.
How Does this Benefit my Overall Health?
No one should have to live in constant pain. Pain reduction can lead to health benefits such as increased physical activity and improved mental health. Chronic pain can lead to a sedentary lifestyle as well as depression. By decreasing or eliminating the pain, getting back to a fulfilling life is that much more achievable.
What Science is Telling Us
"The investigators believe that LED light is a safe alternative to pharmacological intervention to manage pain by stimulating the endogenous endorphin and cannabinoid systems." Source: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03677206
"A simple yet inexpensive treatment regime of red light reduces the development of hypersensitivity along with sensorimotor improvements following spinal cord injury and may, therefore, offer new hope for a currently treatment-resistant pain condition." Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5000419/
Inflammation:
How Does Red Light Therapy Help Decrease Inflammation?
On a cellular level, inflammation occurs when several chain reactions are triggered. When your body believes you are injured it sends a cavalry of blood cells, white blood cells, and many other cell types rushing to the area. There is also enzyme involvement in the inflammation process (COX-1 and COX-2 to be specific). Red light helps to calm these pathways that are triggered, leading to an inflammatory response.
How Does this Benefit my Overall Health?
The primary cause of most pain is related to an inflammatory process. Many individuals live with chronic pain that's related to an inflammatory process that's secondary to a chronic illness. Red light has the power to mitigate these inflammatory processes, decreasing the presence of inflammation. However, it's yet to be seen how well Red Light can combat against various chronic illnesses that cause inflammation, but we do know that Red Light can help with such symptoms.
What Science is Telling Us
"PBM is able to up-regulate antioxidant defenses and reduce oxidative stress. It was shown that PBM can activate NF-kB in normal quiescent cells, however, in activated inflammatory cells, inflammatory markers were decreased."
"PBM describes the use of low levels of visible or near-infrared (NIR) light to heal and stimulate tissue, and to relieve pain and inflammation" Source: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/photob.2019.4628