Approximately 403 million people are estimated to have symptomatic disc degeneration. This is equal to roughly 5.5% of the world’s population.
Spinal disc degeneration happens primarily through the natural aging process. The gradual loss in water content from the gel-like disc centers causes them to become less resilient and able to cope with repeated spinal pressure. This is one of the primary risk factors that cause disc herniation.
A disc herniation occurs when the gel-like disc center, also known as the nucleus pulposus, ruptures through the outer fibrous disc ring, causing it to bulge out of the spine and compress surrounding nerve roots. Resulting symptoms may include pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling, each of which can reduce mobility and quality of life.
As technological advances progress and science continues to evolve, red light therapy is gaining traction as a potential non-invasive treatment option with minimal side effects. With science suggesting inflammation reduction and improved tissue healing as two of the main outcomes, the rationale for treating a herniated disc gains more interest.
To help you learn more about the benefits that red light therapy might be able to offer you, we’re going to give you everything you need to know about using red light therapy to treat a herniated disc.
Here at Kineon, you’ll know by now that we love science. We use it to guide us and help us to develop innovative technology that’s at the forefront of modern rehabilitation aid development. However, we also understand that it can get quite cumbersome to digest at times. Therefore, we’re going to break this subject down so anyone can understand it, regardless of their scientific interests.
For the readers who love science as much as we do, you could start by jumping to the final section where we share some key studies, dissecting them into bite-sized pieces. Without further delay, let’s get started!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Disc degeneration affects approximately 5.5% of the world's population. This is one of the primary causes of disc herniation.
- Red light therapy is gaining traction as a potential non-invasive treatment option for disc herniation. Possible mechanisms include a reduction in inflammation and improved natural healing, both of which may provide temporary pain relief.
- Red light therapy uses red and infrared light, both of which penetrate the skin using different wavelengths. This means that it can act at the surface level and deeper into the target tissues.
- The Kineon MOVE+ is a non-invasive, portable red light therapy device that uses red and infrared light. It can be strapped against the target area before being used while you continue to go about your daily activities.
- It’s important to note that the science surrounding the potential beneficial effects of red light therapy on disc herniations is still evolving. Make sure to read through the presented information carefully and consult with a registered healthcare professional if you’re unsure.
How does red light therapy help a herniated disk?
Before we get into some more of the sciency stuff, let’s cut through the complicated jargon and get straight to the point: how red light therapy can help your herniated disc and improve your life for the better.
It’s important to note that a herniated disc can heal on its own, however, it may take up to six months to do so. Using red light therapy can help relieve the pain and associated symptoms.
These are the main results you can expect to see when using red light therapy for a herniated disc.
Reduces Pain and Inflammation
Inflammation is one of the major causes of herniated disc pain. Often, the bulging part of the disc will press against a nearby nerve, which then irritates the tissues around it. This causes inflammation, which can lead to further discomfort, muscle weakness, and continued muscle spasms.
Consistent application of red light therapy to the affected tissues can reduce the levels of molecules called proinflammatory cytokines. These are chemical messengers that signal our immune cells to come toward the site of injury, in this case, the disc. These immune cells then tell our body to mount an inflammatory response to the perceived threat, causing discomfort.
Furthermore, red light therapy can increase the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines. These are molecules that better control our immune response, reducing the activity of the proinflammatory cytokines.
Taken together, using red light therapy may help reduce inflammation and associated by lowering the immune response and resulting inflammation in the affected disc area.
Promotes Healing
The body’s natural healing processes are designed to restore the body to its normal state following injury. This includes repairing the damaged tissues and affected body systems. It’s one of the wonderful natural mechanisms that make the body such an amazing adaptive system.
Red light therapy can help increase our body’s natural healing response by boosting the activity of the mitochondria, widely known as the powerhouse of our cells. The light energy provided by the red light therapy stimulates the mitochondria to increase production of a molecule known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This provides our cells with energy, which allows them to function. We’ll go into a little more depth regarding this below.
When we have more ATP, our cells then have more energy for repair and rejuvenation. This means that we can increase our body’s natural healing processes. In the case of a herniated disc, this may help to better repair and restore the injured tissues, reducing discomfort and improving general function.
Increases Blood flow
Blood flow is vital for our body’s general functions. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and organs where they're needed. Alongside this, it removes waste products which can become harmful when left to build up.
Red light therapy may help to boost blood flow by increasing the production of nitric oxide. This is a colorless, odorless gas produced in the body. Nitric oxide has several effects on the body. The main one we need to know is that it relaxes and widens blood vessels, enhancing blood circulation.
This increased blood circulation can boost blood flow, increasing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the cells where it's needed. Furthermore, the speed of waste removal also becomes more efficient.
When put together, this can help our body to heal faster, improving the recovery time and associated symptoms felt when experiencing a herniated disc.
Improves Mobility
Mobility refers to our ability to move freely. Having good mobility means that we can move our bodies through full ranges of motion without difficulty. Poor mobility is one of the main symptoms of a herniated disc, primarily caused by pain and inflammation, which limit range of motion and cause stiffness. This is especially important as we transition into later life.
As we mentioned briefly above, red light therapy may help to reduce pain and inflammation. With both of these being key risk factors for reduced mobility, red light therapy may provide noticeable mobility improvements. This improved mobility can help to improve aspects of daily living and enhance the general quality of life.
The science behind red light therapy and herniated (slipped) disc
Now that we’ve introduced just some of the benefits of red light therapy, it’s time to dive a little deeper into the science. Hopefully, we explained the last section well enough for you to understand and prepare for this one.
In this section, we’re going to level up regarding the information presented. It’s going to be a slightly heavier read, but we’ve got you all the way. We’re going to share the technology and the science with the studies to back it up!
Wavelengths
The visible light spectrum can be defined as the portion or segment of the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes can see. In simple terms, this range of different wavelengths is known as visible light. Typically, our eyes can see wavelengths from 380nm–700nm.
As the visible light spectrum travels through a prism, the different wavelengths are separated into different colors of the rainbow. This includes violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, which is the longest wavelength.
Our skin contains molecules called chromophores. These absorb light at specific wavelengths, and for example, are the reason why blood is red (heme chromophore), and why bruises are yellowish-green (biliverdin chromophore). To target a specific chromophore, you need to take into account the absorption spectra of that chromophore. In the case of photobiomodulation, the target is cytochrome c oxidase. This enzyme has a broad absorption spectrum, which is light roughly between 600nm and 1000nm, and is often used in photobiomodulation..
Red light therapy uses specific wavelengths of red and infrared light to promote natural healing responses within the body, which includes around a herniated disc.
Red light is at the top end of the visible spectrum with a wavelength of approximately 620nm–750nm. Since water and melanin absorb strongly blue and green, this means that they offer deeper penetration compared to the other colors on the visible light spectrum.
Red light penetrates the skin and surrounding superficial tissues. Therefore, it’s primarily used to promote surface-level healing.
Infrared light falls beyond the visible light spectrum, with wavelengths in the range of 780nm–1mm. This means that our eyes cannot detect it as its wavelengths are outside the visible light spectrum.
These wavelengths are absorbed even less which means that these wavelengths penetrate deeper into the tissues, including muscles, joints, ligaments, and intervertebral discs.
With this, using both red and infrared light may promote the body's natural healing process in and around the herniated disc. While red light can deal with healing at the surface level, infrared light can penetrate deeper into the affected area to address nerve roots and inflamed tissues.
Cellular Changes
Red light therapy operates at the molecular and cellular levels to promote the body’s natural healing mechanisms. This includes improved tissue health, enhanced repair, and reduced inflammation. The light energy provided by red light therapy interacts with the different cell structures, which then stimulates these natural biological processes.
As we mentioned briefly above, red light therapy primarily acts on the mitochondria, also known as the powerhouse of the cell. Light is first absorbed by chromophores on the skin, a key one being cytochrome C oxidase (CCO). This is a crucial enzyme involved in the electron transport chain within the mitochondria, which is responsible for the production of ATP.
When light is absorbed by CCO, it boosts its activity, which then speeds up the electron transport chain. This then enhances the production of ATP, the cell's main energy source, meaning more energy for the body’s natural healing processes.
While we could talk about some more potential cellular mechanisms, I think that's enough science for this section. After all, we could be here all day looking at the many proposed benefits that red light therapy may offer!
Nerve Modulation
The excitability of our nerve cells is largely controlled by the flow of sodium and potassium ions. These diffuse across their membranes using ion channels. When a nerve is compressed via a disc herniation, the sodium channels become more active, meaning that more sodium ions flow into the nerve, causing depolarization. The resulting effect is increased pain signaling within the nerve.
Red light therapy may help to alter the activity of these sodium channels. The light energy delivered may change the fluidity of the cellular membranes, reducing the rate at which the sodium ions can enter the nerve cell. This may help to better maintain the membrane potential, reducing the possibility of depolarization and, with it, increasing pain signalling.
By altering the membrane permeability and reducing inflammation, red light therapy may also help to raise the threshold at which the nerves respond to stimuli. In the case of disc herniation, this would mean that the sensitized nerve roots near the herniated disc would be dampened, leading to pain relief.
The studies behind red light therapy and slipped discs
To round everything off, we’re going to use this section to talk about some of the leading studies looking at red light therapy and slipped discs. We’ll introduce each study, discussing its key findings, strengths, and any potential limitations to be aware of. At the end, we’ll give our general thoughts.
Study 1: Lee et al (2023) Effectiveness and Safety of Low-Level Laser Treatment for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
This study aimed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the existing studies examining low-level laser light therapy (LLLT) as a potential therapeutic treatment option for lumbar disc herniation.
The primary study objectives were to examine the impact of LLLT on reducing pain and improving function in patients with an existing lumbar disc herniation. Alongside this, the authors aimed to examine the safety profile of LLLT, looking at the possible adverse side effects that may be associated with its continued use.
The authors carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the available literature. Studies using LLLT on adults with lumbar disc herniation were identified from 12 global databases. A comprehensive analysis was carried out to find randomized control trials, with each study going through a risk of bias analysis to ensure validity. Following this, the final quantitative analysis included five studies.
Read the full research: Lee et al (2023)
Key findings about herniated discs and red light therapy:
- LLLT was found to be significantly more effective at reducing pain levels compared to the control conditions.
- Patients who were treated with LLLT significantly improved their functional outcomes, with improved mobility and daily activity performance.
- No significant adverse side effects were associated with the administration of LLLT. Therefore, LLLT was shown to be a safe treatment option.
Study strengths:
By combining many smaller studies, a meta-analysis offers higher statistical power. This means that it can detect significant effects that may not have been present when looking at each study individually. This allows a more accurate representation of the true effect size.
In this case, using a systematic review and meta-analysis to review the existing literature concerning the effectiveness of LLLT on lumbar disc herniation offered a thorough evaluation of the existing evidence, especially as it was performed recently. The use of risk bias assessments further improved the validity of the study’s conclusions.
The fact that the authors used functional differences as the main outcome measures is much more representative of the primary concerns of patients suffering from lumbar disc herniation. These include pain relief and functional movement.
Study limitations and challenges:
Despite the authors using a rigorous methodology that included multiple validity tests to improve the quality of the evidence, the fact that five randomized control trials were included in the final analysis reduces the strength of the evidence.
What we mean by this is that a small sample size is harder to use as the likelihood of it truly representing an ecologically valid population is much less compared to studies using a larger number of studies. Therefore, a further review and meta-analysis should aim to include a larger range of studies.
Furthermore, several variations in laser treatments were noted between studies. These referred to the wavelengths used, dosage applied, and treatment frequency. Alongside this, the included trials used different study designs and treatment protocols. This introduced a large element of variability between studies, which also affects the generalizability of the overall findings.
One last thing to note is the fact that most studies used short-term outcomes. While this suggests an initial beneficial effect of LLLT, the longer-term efficacy and safety profile remain to be determined.
Our thoughts on Lee et al (2023)
Overall, this systematic review and meta-analysis offer valuable insights into the potential of red light therapy, in this case, referred to as LLLT, as a non-invasive, safe treatment option to improve functional outcomes in patients with lumbar disc herniation. These functional outcomes include pain reduction and improved functional movement.
However, there is a need for further studies using standardized testing protocols over a much longer period. Performing these future studies can be used to confirm or refute the potential of LLLT as a long-term therapeutic treatment option.
With the high-quality analysis used, this recent study represents a step forward in improving our current understanding of the potential of red light therapy to treat lumbar disc herniation. While it has its limitations, it opens up exciting future research avenues, providing future researchers with an initial hypothesis to develop and build on.
Study 2: Hwang et al (2020) Effects of photobiomodulation on annulus fibrosus cells derived from degenerative disc disease patients exposed to microvascular endothelial cells conditioned medium
This study aimed to examine the therapeutic potential of photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as red light therapy (RLT) to improve symptoms associated with degenerative disc diseases, a significant cause of back pain and a key risk factor in the development of disc herniation.
The primary objective was to examine the influence of PBM on the pathological processes within the annulus fibrosus cells (the fibrous ring forming the outer part of the intervertebral disc). The authors specifically chose to look at nerve sensitization, inflammation, and extracellular matrix degradation.
The authors used human annulus fibrosus cells as their cell culture. These were obtained during surgical procedures by being isolated from degenerated intervertebral discs. Following this, the cells were exposed to different wavelengths of red and near-infrared light ranging from 465nm–645nm. This was done using different energy densities.
Analysis was carried out to look at the levels of inflammatory cytokines, neurotrophins, and catabolic enzymes. This was done before and after the different PBM treatment conditions.
Read the full research: Hwang et al (2020)
Key findings about herniated discs and red light therapy:
- The use of PBM reduced the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α and IL-1β, suggesting a potential therapeutic application in reducing inflammation associated with disc degeneration.
- PBM decreased the production of NGF, a neurotrophin closely associated with nerve sensitization and pain in degenerative disc diseases.
- The use of PBM didn’t compromise the integrity of the AF cells. This supports its use as a non-invasive treatment option with a good safety profile.
Study strengths:
A key strength of the study is that it examined multiple factors that play key roles in the symptom development of disc degeneration. These included key cytokines, neurotrophins, and enzymes. Doing this provides a better complete understanding of the effects of PBM.
Furthermore, focusing on molecular pathways showed the potential of PBM to act at a cellular level within the body. This further strengthens its potential scientific applications and provides further avenues of exploration for future studies to focus on when building on the current results.
The use of human-derived AF cells means that the results are much more applicable to human physiology. This offers clinically relevant insights that can be better applied to within the human body itself.
Study limitations and challenges:
While the use of human-derived AF cells is a strength compared to animal models, the in vitro design still limits the full application to more complex in vivo environments. Because of this, it’s hard to fully generalize findings in complex human bodies where several different tissues and systems interact and may influence the effectiveness of PBM.
The positive study findings do suggest a potential benefit of PBM in the treatment of degenerative disc diseases. However, the use of specific wavelengths and energy densities means that the results can only be generalized so far. While similar wavelengths may be expected to have the same or similar findings, we can’t say for sure without studying them in a controlled environment.
The fact that the study focused on immediate cellular responses shows several potentially promising mechanisms on how PBM may help improve symptoms associated with degenerative disc diseases. However, the failure to examine this over a much longer term means that the potential effects on pain and disc regeneration require further study.
Our thoughts on Hwang et al (2020)
The main findings of the current study provide convincing evidence that the use of PBM does change key processes associated with degenerative disc diseases. This highlights its potential for improving the associated pain and functional reductions commonly seen.
While the use of human AF cells provides some mechanistic insights into the potential therapeutic applications, further studies need to use in vivo models and clinical trials. Despite this, the study represents a promising step in the development of PBM as a non-invasive treatment option for disc degeneration.
In terms of its relevance to a herniated disc, this often involves structural damage to the annulus fibrosus cells on the intervertebral discs, leading to pain and inflammation. By demonstrating that the use of PBM can reduce the levels of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, the findings show that PBM may be able to reduce pain and tissue damage commonly seen with a herniated disc.
Furthermore, the reduced neurotrophin production in AF cells may help reduce nerve excitability and associated pain caused by a herniated disc. Overall, using PBM may help to heal and regenerate the fibrous tissue surrounding the intervertebral disc, helping to repair the damage and restoring function, therefore limiting its progression to becoming herniated.
Herniated (slipped) disc and red light therapy: your questions answered
Is red light therapy helpful for herniated (slipped) disc?
Red light therapy offers a non-invasive treatment option that is considered safe with minimal to no side effects.
When used correctly, red light therapy can help to improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation around the target area. This may potentially reduce discomfort, making it a worthwhile treatment option to manage the associated symptoms.
How often should you use red light therapy on herniated (slipped) disc?
The correct frequency of use depends on the severity of the herniated disc being treated. However, general recommendations would be to use it 3-5 times a week for 5-20 minute periods. This can also be increased to daily sessions if you’re looking to incorporate it into your normal routine.
If you’re looking for more detailed guidance, we wrote a full article on how often you can use red light therapy here.
Can you treat a herniated (slipped) disc at home?
Recent advances in red light therapy technology mean that it’s now possible to treat a herniated (slipped) disc from the comfort of your own home. One example is by using our portable MOVE+ device that can be attached to the target area.
For more information, we wrote a full article on using red light therapy at home here.
Can you use red light therapy alongside physiotherapy for herniated (slipped) disc?
Using red light therapy alongside physiotherapy for a herniated (slipped) disc is considered to be a complementary therapy. This means that they can benefit the overall effectiveness of both treatments when used together.
Red light therapy may help to reduce inflammation and the associated discomfort. This enhanced healing and tissue repair may improve the benefits of physical therapy by improving mobility.
Can you use red light therapy help with mild pain from a slipped disc?
Red light therapy is well-known to help reduce inflammation and promote increased tissue healing. Both of these are potential causes of mild pain from a slipped disc. Therefore, red light therapy can be used as a potential treatment option in this case.
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