What is Red Light Therapy and how does it work
Red light therapy (RLT) is a treatment that uses visible and invisible near-infrared light to stimulate your body at a cellular level. As a result, the mitochondria inside the cells produce more ATP. Adenosine triphosphate is the source of energy for use and storage. ATP hydrolysis provides the energy needed for many essential processes in organisms and cells. These include intracellular signaling, DNA and RNA synthesis, Purinergic signaling, synaptic signaling, active transport, and muscle contraction. In short, the cells have more energy and work more efficiently.
Red light therapy is also called low-level laser therapy (LLLT), low-power laser therapy (LPLT), and photobiomodulation (PBM).
The injury
In January, while traveling for work, I hyperextended my left knee while rushing through the airport to catch my connecting flight. Though not a serious injury, it did limit my mobility for the remainder of my trip. In the following six weeks, I took all the necessary precautions for a joint injury – rest, elevation, icing, stretching, massage, and using a heating pad for flexibility. Unfortunately, while compensating for the injury to my left knee, I ended up putting additional stress on my right knee, which resulted in new pain and discomfort.
At first, it wasn’t too bad. Just uncomfortable. But the more time passed the more painful it became. By the end of each day, my knee was tight and swollen and it was difficult to stand or walk. There was not a time during the day when my knee didn’t hurt. From my first step out of bed in the morning until I went to bed each night, I was in pain. It affected every decision I made. Despite treating it as I had with my other knee, I couldn’t get relief. By the end of March, I needed to do more. And that is exactly what I did.
Trying to recover
After consulting with a specialist, I discovered that I had both tendonitis and bursitis in my knee. Unfortunately, this is a common condition that affects 20% of women who are going through menopause. For six months, from April to October, I explored various modalities in an effort to alleviate the pain and improve mobility. These included physical therapy, neuromuscular massage, cupping, gua sha scraping, targeted stretching, kinesiology KT taping, using a TENS unit, wearing a compression sleeve or knee brace, and taking OTC pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements multiple times a day. However, none of these options provided long-lasting relief.
Towards the end of October, I realized that my current methods of seeking relief were not getting the desired results. Not only was I still in pain daily, I had also gained 15 pounds because of limited mobility. I knew that I wasn’t open to options such as cortisone injections, stronger pain medication, or invasive surgeries. I had tried them in the past with a shoulder injury and was not happy with the results. That’s when I decided to try using the Bio-Light LED light panel that I typically use in facial services, but this time on my knee. Although it offered some relief, it was only superficial and didn’t address the deeper issues that I was experiencing. This led me to invest in a hand-held LED Red Light Therapy device that not only uses visible red light but also invisible near-infrared light.
For seven consecutive days, I used the device to treat my knee. I would use it for 30 minutes in the morning while drinking my coffee and watching the news. I also tried to use it before bed in the evenings. Although my knee didn’t recover, I noticed an improvement by the end of the week. Though I was optimistic about the progress, I realized I would need a more powerful unit to speed up my recovery.
Research
I delved into researching photobiomodulation (Red Light Therapy is a form of PBM) in earnest. I sifted through numerous articles, perused the studies on Pubmed, and visited leading industry websites. To further my understanding, I also invested in Ari Whitten’s “The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy“, the red light therapy bible.
My primary reason for turning to red light therapy was to control inflammation and reduce pain, but there are many other benefits. It also helps with skin tone and texture, helps clear acne breakouts, and minimizes the signs of aging skin. It improves neuropathy, wound healing, and scars. It also assists in healing rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis. It is currently being studied in the treatment of long COVID symptoms.
Full Body Red Light Therapy
After careful consideration, I decided to invest in a full-body Red Light Therapy system. However, the cost of such a system is significant. To justify such an investment of this size, I decided to add it as a service at my skincare studio – a win-win situation for both myself and my clients.
After polling my existing clients and taking into consideration potential clients’ mobility issues, I decided to invest in a 2 piece system. The bottom piece is a stationary bed with varying red and near-infrared LED bulbs. The top piece is a canopy-type array that raises and lowers. The two main reasons I chose this configuration over a capsule type (think lay-down tanning bed) are:
- Claustrophobia- The motorized stand allows for easy raising and lowering of the top light! You don’t feel trapped. It has an “open air” feel.
- Mobility- The Red Light Bed has been designed for efficiency, and ease of use. It is easy to get on and off without the risk of hitting your head.
As of today, we only have the top canopy set up for services. The light bed is on backorder until Q1 2024. What this means to our clients is your session is twice as long. Halfway through the service, you will turn over to ensure that both sides of your body receive light.
My Progress
Over the last 4 weeks, I received 3 sessions per week. The sessions were 20 minutes long and each side of my body received 10 minutes of light.
- Before I started RLT on my knee I rated my pain level at 8, sometimes up to a 9 on a scale of 1-10. I hurt all the time. My knee hurt when standing, walking, and sitting. Additionally, it disrupted my sleep multiple times throughout the night.
- Week 1 – I continued to massage, cup, gua sha scrape, stretch, KT tape, wear a compression sleeve or knee brace, and take OTC pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements multiple times a day. At the end of week 1, I rated my pain level at 7. There was an improvement, but it wasn’t significant.
- Week 2 – I continued to massage, cup, gua sha scrape, stretch, KT tape, wear a compression sleeve or knee brace, and take OTC pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements multiple times a day. At the end of week 2, I rated my pain level at 6. Again there was an improvement, but it was still minimal.
- Week 3 – I continued to massage, gua sha scrape, stretch, KT tape, wear a compression sleeve or knee brace, and take anti-inflammatory supplements daily. I quit cupping and taking OTC pain medication. At the end of week 3, I rated my pain level at 5-6. On the days I worked longer hours my pain was greater than on the days I worked fewer hours standing. This is the week I felt a real change in my pain.
- Week 4 – I continued to massage, gua sha scrape, stretch, and take anti-inflammatory supplements daily. In addition to cupping and the OTC medication, I also quit KT taping my knee and wearing a compression sleeve or brace for additional support. At the end of week 4, I rated my pain level at 3-4. That was more than a 50% reduction in pain. That’s real change.
Aside from reduced pain and decreased inflammation in my knee, I have also noticed a significant improvement in my ability to fall asleep quickly and enjoy more restful sleep.
Moving forward
Although I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my knee, I plan on continuing with Red Light Therapy three times a week for the next 4-8 weeks. Acute conditions can be resolved in a shorter amount of time, but more persistent or chronic injuries like mine may take 8-12 weeks or even longer to show improvement.
Sharing with clients
Once I began using the upper section and started seeing tangible results for myself, I knew I needed to share it with my clients sooner rather than later. Even if the stationary bed was not yet in play, the canopy was facilitating real change by itself. Instead of waiting until I had both pieces in place, I decided to have a “soft launch”. Not only would this allow clients to start experiencing the benefits of red light therapy sooner, it would allow us to fine-tune the client experience.
Over the last month, we have offered complimentary sessions to existing clients. 56 people have taken advantage of this offer. Some have received only 1 session, but others have come in for multiple sessions. Unanimously they are telling us it is a comfortable, relaxing experience. But more than that, those who have had multiple sessions have experienced the following results*:
- less anxiety
- better sleep
- uplifted mood
- faded stretch marks
- increased energy
- decreased pain
- surgery scars are fading
- relief from restless leg syndrome
- decrease from pain and tingling associated with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy
*statements taken directly from clients of Linde Esthetics
I believe this is only the beginning of what we will hear. As clients complete more sessions I look forward to hearing their results.
Schedule a session
I believe this modality works, and I want you to experience it for yourself. If you are ready to start feeling better, click here to schedule your first session. Use code RLT1ST when booking your appointment and I will waive the service fee.
Windy Linde
Licensed Esthetician, Licensed Massage Therapist, Reiki Master
Linde Esthetics
www.lindeesthetics.com
3853 S Cox Rd, Suite 108
Springfield, MO 65807
(417) 886-5463