As a person who seeks to find a more homeopathic route for personal care and health care needs, red light therapy is something I would like to utilize in addressing the torn meniscus in both the left and right knees.
From what I have learned, red light therapy (RLT) uses low-wavelength red and near-infrared light to stimulate your body’s natural healing and regeneration processes—without pain, downtime, or medication.
Since I was in my late twenties, I have been working through many old and new injuries as a direct result of my athletic and active lifestyle. Furthermore, I also waited tables and bartended for almost twenty years before entering my career in the marketing field.
Needless to say, my body has taken a beating, especially because I was highly competitive, so I played hard and worked hard. Add to that two pregnancies that were hard on my already compromised back. Then, chasing around two little boys and playing with them at their pace while in my thirties, really took a toll on my aging body.
Now, as I enter into the menopause era and middle age, the decrease in estrogen has made it harder to recover as fast as I used to. Moreover, I do not have to do much to reinjure myself. In fact, I could throw my back out with a hard sneeze, sleeping funny, or merely putting on my socks!
According to research done by the National Institute of Health (NIH), redlight therapy (also known as Photobiomodulation/PBM), “Has emerged as a promising treatment approach in recent years. PBM effectively reduces inflammation by utilizing near-infrared light emitted by lasers or LEDs.
In contrast to photothermal effects, PBM causes a photobiological response in cells, which regulates their functional response to light and reduces inflammation. PBM’s anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects in arthritis treatment have been reported in numerous studies, including animal experiments and clinical trials. PBM’s effectiveness in arthritis treatment has been extensively researched in arthritis-specific cells,”.
NIH concluded that, “…this comprehensive review emphasizes PBM therapy’s potential as an effective and non-invasive arthritis treatment. The detailed overview covers the fundamental mechanisms of PBM treatment, elucidating its cellular function regulation and efficacy in small animal arthritis models.
Although there is currently no universally agreed upon optimal PBM treatment parameters, the positive results of clinical trials and extensive research on the underlying mechanisms inspire confidence in the potential of this therapeutic approach,”.
*Note: All content within this article is meant for informational purposes only and is in no way a replacement for professional medical or psychological advice or support. Seek immediate and appropriate care from a healthcare professional should you or a trusted loved one deem it necessary.
Do physical therapists recommend red light therapy?
Thankfully, I have a wonderful physical therapist that I work with, and they have recommended red light therapy as a part of my recovery journey, which has involved many practices.
Over the last twenty years or more, I have tried many avenues of attending to my injuries, including but not limited to:
- Chiropractic care
- Physical therapy
- Knee exercise machines
- Acupuncture
- Dry needling
- Ice and heat
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Muscle relaxers
- Cortisone shots
- Trigger point injections
- Massage therapy
- Exercise
- Weight training
- Epsom salt baths
- Jetted tub time
- Stretching
- Yoga (very basic)
- Resting
Experts at Physiopedia report that as part of physical therapy practice, “Red or near-infrared light therapy, labelled as photobiomodulation, is said to help recover and regenerate damaged tissue. The use of light therapy prior to and/or subsequent to activity, can help elevate sport performance. It is seen that the use of Red Light Therapy helps increase muscle mass after training, decrease inflammation, and decrease oxidative stress.
There are many benefits of using Red Light Therapy on muscle tissue that have been determined through clinical and lab studies. Some of these benefits include:
- Prevention of muscle stress and damage after exercise, and prevention of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
- Increased muscle workload capacity, and increase in muscle fiber excitability
- Increasing resistance to fatigue
- Increasing functional and athletic performance
- Improving muscle recovery times after exercise
- Increase energy metabolism and ATP synthesis
- Stimulation of resistance against oxidative stress
- Modulation of gene expression by activating transcription factors,”.
As mentioned earlier, I have yet to try red light therapy. What is promising, though, is that where I currently have a gym membership, I can use their red light therapy units as often as possible, as they are included in my membership.
You can bet I will be trying it out this week, because my back has also been giving me trouble, along with my knees. I do not want to take myself out of the game or be forced to sit on the bench, so to speak. I want to be able to continue working out three days a week, as that has been helpful in avoiding arthritis pain.
As Newton’s First Law of Motion states, “A body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion at a constant velocity will remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force.”
So, I attempt to continue to stay in motion to avoid my muscles and joints from stiffening up!
How often should you use red light therapy on your body
Okay, we have determined that red light therapy can be effective for people like me. However, another aspect of my personality is that I usually think that if something is good for me, then, of course, more of it must be better. Right? Not usually, which is why I need to research how often I can use this type of therapy.
Health magazine suggests that, “There are no definitive guidelines on how long or how often to use red light therapy. Most people use red light therapy 2-5 times per week for 10-20 minutes per session.
It’s best to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for the device you are using. Typically, you need to use red light therapy consistently to see results.
In one study, people with psoriasis—an autoimmune disease that causes dry, scaly skin patches—underwent 20 minutes of red light therapy twice a week with at least 48 hours between sessions. After 4-5 weeks, participants had significant improvement in their skin,”.
Red light therapy for knee meniscus
In conclusion, from what I have discovered, red light therapy shows real promise for knee meniscus recovery. With my physical therapist’s support and gym access, I’m ready to give it a consistent try—and cautiously optimistic about what’s ahead on my healing journey.