Do you suffer from joint pain and arthritis? If so, you’re not alone. These conditions can be extremely debilitating and affect millions of people worldwide. Fortunately, there is a new treatment option that may help improve your symptoms: red light therapy.
In this blog post, we will discuss how red light therapy works and how it can help treat joint pain and arthritis.
We’ll also dig deep into some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about this type of treatment so that you can make an informed decision about whether it’s right for you!
Let’s get into it…
How Red Light Therapy Helps Treat Joint Pain
The science behind red light therapy is quite simple. This type of treatment uses red LED lights in order to target the affected area and promote natural healing.
The light waves penetrate deep into the skin, activating cell regeneration and healing from the inside out.
It also:
- Helps Relieve Pain – In a double-blind research study, 50 patients with degenerative osteoarthritis in both knees were treated for 10 days with red light, infrared light, or a placebo treatment. The research showed that in the placebo group, there were no noticeable pain reductions. However, the red and infrared groups reported pain reductions of more than 50%! This led to researchers concluding that red light therapy “is effective in relieving pain and disability in degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee.” [1]
- Improves Collagen Production – A randomized, controlled study investigated the effect of red light therapy on collagen density in 136 volunteers over 30 sessions. They found that there was a statistically significant increase in collagen density in the volunteers who received red light therapy, indicating that the light was effective in promoting collagen production.[2]
- Increases Blood Flow – A randomised, placebo-controlled trial of low-level laser therapy (another name for red light therapy) for Achilles tendinitis found that it “increased intratendinous blood flow in all 14 tendons” meaning increased blood flow to an area that needs healing, is a good indication the treatment is working! [3]
- Reduces Inflammation – Harvard researcher Michael R Hamblin says that “One of the most reproducible effects of PBM is an overall reduction in inflammation, which is particularly important for disorders of the joints, traumatic injuries, lung disorders, and in the brain”. Check out his full write-up about “Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation” for a more in-depth look here. [4]
- Stimulates Mitochondrial Energy Production – We took a deep dive into this topic when we looked at Increased Mitochondrial Energy For Faster Muscle Recovery, but we’ll give you a brief overview here to get you up to speed. In a nutshell, mitochondrial energy production is the process of converting nutrients into usable energy for your cells to function and stay healthy. So if we can make this process more efficient, we can increase cellular energy production and improve overall health.
Types of Joint Pain Treatable with Red Light Therapy
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Bursitis
- Tendonitis
- Back pain
- Sciatica
- Fibromyalgia
As you can see, red light therapy can treat a wide variety of types of joint pain. This is because it targets the tissues that are affected directly by these conditions, rather than trying to relieve the pain by targeting other body systems or the whole body as a whole.
Treat Joint Pain And Arthritis With Red Light Therapy In 4 Steps
Step 1: Assess Your Pain Condition
It’s important to properly assess your pain condition before starting red light therapy. For example, if osteoarthritis is your diagnosis, you’ll want to look at things like how well you’re moving, how stiff or sore you are, and whether your pain has changed over time.
Step 2: Find A Red Light Therapy Device That Works For You
Consistency is one of the most important parts of any pain management program. Using a red light therapy device on a regular basis is the best way to achieve the best results possible. That’s why it’s important to find a device that works for you and your lifestyle so you can keep doing your treatments regularly.
For example, if your local physical therapy office has a red light therapy device, but you can only make it to appointments a couple of times per month, it may make sense for you to purchase a home device that you can do on your own time each day.
Thankfully, here at Kineon, we have developed a portable red light therapy device that you can use from the comfort of your home without any of the limitations associated with visiting a physical therapist’s office.
In just 15 minutes per day, you can get targeted relief from joint pain and arthritis symptoms without having to miss work or take time away from your family!
To learn more, check out our Move+ device here.
Step 3: Treat Yourself With The Right Amount Of Time For Your Condition
When using red light therapy, it’s important to make sure to get the correct dosage for your condition. As a general guideline, people with pain conditions like arthritis should aim to treat their joints for at least 10 minutes at a time.
If you have any questions about the right dosage of red light therapy for your condition, feel free to contact us at hello@kineon.io for advice!
Step 4: Stay Motivated To Make Treatment Part of Your Daily Routine
Achieving long-term results is the key to overcoming joint pain and arthritis, and that’s where regular use of a home red light therapy device comes in!
By making it a part of your daily schedule, you can keep treatment going even when it feels like the pain is getting in the way of your everyday activities. Studies have shown that people who use red light therapy everyday experience the most rapid and long-lasting results.
In fact, Move+ customers report up to an 80% reduction in pain within 1 to 4 weeks compared to other treatments!
Why NIR Is Best for Arthritis and Joint Pain
Unfortunately, many traditional treatments for joint pain and arthritis are ineffective because they don’t address the root cause of the problem. Instead, they focus on treating the symptoms while the underlying cause continues to worsen over time.
Not only that, but they often come loaded with harmful side effects that can leave you feeling worse than you did before!
For example, common painkillers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can cause gastrointestinal issues, kidney damage, and even fatal liver failure in some cases.
By contrast, infrared light therapy is a natural solution for treating joint pain that doesn’t have any of the dangerous side effects of conventional medications…
Non-Invasive
One of the biggest benefits of red and NIR light therapy is the non-invasive nature of the treatment. Unlike some other treatments like surgery or physical therapy, infrared therapy doesn’t require any invasive procedures or extended recovery times. What’s more, it’s completely safe and won’t cause any harm or damage to the body!
No Side Effects
As mentioned above, one of the biggest drawbacks of traditional treatments for joint pain and arthritis is that they come with harmful and sometimes dangerous side effects.
That’s not the case with infrared light therapy though! Since it uses safe infrared light rays rather than harsh chemicals or pharmaceuticals, it doesn’t come with any potentially harmful side effects.
That means you can use the device safely without having to worry about unwanted side effects on top of the already unpleasant symptoms you’re experiencing!
Treat In Your Own Home
Another benefit of infrared light therapy is the fact that you don’t have to go anywhere for treatment! All you have to do is use the portable device in the comfort of your own home and benefit from all of the therapeutic benefits it offers.
There’s no need for time-consuming doctor’s appointments or expensive trips to a clinic or hospital either… Simply attach a portable red light therapy device, like the Move+, to your joints and sit back as the red light technology works to relieve your pain and inflammation naturally!
Long Term Results
It’s well known that traditional treatment for joint pain and arthritis only provides temporary relief at best. Whether that’s in the form of painkillers or anti-inflammatory medication, the pain will eventually come back unless you get some sort of long-term treatment to address the problem.
The same thing can be said for other non-invasive alternatives like physical therapy or massage therapy too. While those treatments can help in the short term, they don’t provide a long-term solution to your problem.
That’s why many people suffering from chronic joint pain are turning to red and NIR light therapy instead – because the benefits it offers are long-lasting!
Once you’ve experienced the benefits of red light therapy for your joint pain, all you need to do is keep using the device on a regular basis to maintain the results and prevent it from coming back!
Usually using the device 2-3 times per week is enough to maintain results and ensure your joint pain doesn’t return!
Joint Pain, Arthritis, And Red Light Therapy FAQs
So, there you have some of the benefits of using red light therapy for joint pain relief! Just like any other kind of therapy, though, there are also a few questions people tend to have about this type of treatment before they start using it…
Here are some of the most common questions that we get asked about red light therapy and joint pain relief!
How Often Should You Use Red Light Therapy For Pain and Arthritis?
The general rule of thumb is that you should use red light therapy daily until your symptoms improve and then reduce your sessions to a couple of times per week once your symptoms have subsided completely.
As discussed earlier in the article, the key to getting the best results with red light therapy is to use it consistently, so it’s important that you keep up a few red light therapy sessions even after your joints start to feel better!
How Long Does It Take For Red Light Therapy Work on Joint Pain?
Using a red light therapy device for 15 minutes per day should help ease the pain associated with arthritis and provide some much-needed relief from inflammation and stiffness.
Unfortunately, it can be quite hard to accurately predict how long it will take before you see improvements in your symptoms, as this can vary depending on the severity and how long you have been suffering from joint pain.
Many people start feeling relief after about a week of consistent use, but you should continue to use the device for several weeks in order to see the full benefits of this treatment!
Can Red Light Therapy Help Knee Pain?
Simply put, yes! In fact, many studies have shown that using red light therapy can help reduce pain and improve mobility in people suffering from knee arthritis and other kinds of knee pain.
Fun fact: the Move+ was originally designed specifically for knee pain, so it’s tailor-made for you!
Can Red Light Therapy Help Hip Pain?
As we explained earlier, one of the best things about red light therapy is the fact that it targets inflammation in general, so it can help with a wide range of conditions throughout the body!
When it comes to hip pain, research suggests that this type of therapy can provide much-needed relief for people dealing with arthritis of the hips, bursitis, fibromyalgia, and other painful conditions that can affect the hip joint.
And with our Move+ device, it makes it easy to target the hip area as it’s a fully flexible design that allows you to place the three individual units on the area that is most affected by your pain or discomfort.
Plus, because it has a compact design with no wires, you can use it while on the go so you’re never without a way to treat your pain anywhere you go!
Sources:
1 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1727843/
2 – https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/pho.2013.3616
3 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2491942/
4 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5523874/
