Benefits of Red Light Therapy for Pain and Recovery: What the Evidence Shows

Red light therapy has become difficult to separate from the hype surrounding it. Depending on where you look, it is credited with reducing inflammation, repairing injuries, relieving chronic pain, improving athletic performance and speeding recovery.

Some of those claims have research behind them. Others extend well beyond what clinical studies have demonstrated.

Red light therapy—also called photobiomodulation or PBM—uses red and near-infrared light rather than ultraviolet light. Research suggests that it may help with pain or physical function in certain conditions, including knee osteoarthritis and some tendon disorders. It may also reduce exercise-related muscle soreness for some people.

However, the results depend on the condition being treated, the device, wavelength, dose and treatment schedule. Red light therapy cannot promise faster healing, cure chronic pain or replace an appropriate assessment and rehabilitation plan.

The potential benefits of red light therapy include:

• Reduced pain or improved physical function in certain musculoskeletal conditions
• Support for some people experiencing knee osteoarthritis symptoms
• Possible improvement in pain and function when used alongside exercise for certain tendon problems
• Reduced muscle soreness during recovery from strenuous exercise
• Possible effects on cellular and inflammatory signalling involved in tissue recovery
• A non-invasive treatment option that can be used alongside manual therapy or rehabilitation

These are potential benefits—not guaranteed outcomes.

A 2025 umbrella review of 15 meta-analyses, 204 randomized trials and more than 9,000 participants found statistically significant effects for several health conditions. However, the certainty of the evidence ranged from very low to moderate. None of the outcomes was supported by high-certainty evidence.

The fairest conclusion is that red light therapy may be a useful supportive treatment for selected conditions, but the research does not justify presenting it as a cure-all.

Photobiomodulation uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light. Unlike ultraviolet light, these wavelengths are non-ionizing and are not used to tan the skin.

When the light reaches tissue, some of its energy may be absorbed by light-sensitive molecules within cells. Researchers have proposed several resulting effects, including changes in mitochondrial activity, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species and inflammatory signalling.

Mitochondria help cells produce adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is required for normal cellular activity, but it is an oversimplification to say that red light simply “boosts ATP” and therefore heals an injury.

A review of the proposed mechanisms of photobiomodulation describes a network of possible cellular responses rather than one simple healing switch.

More light is not necessarily better. Photobiomodulation may have a dose-dependent response, meaning that too little light may have no meaningful effect while an inappropriate dose may also fail to produce the intended response.

It may help with pain in certain situations, but “pain” is too broad to treat as a single condition.

Pain can arise from joint degeneration, tendon irritation, muscle injury, nerve involvement, sensitization, referred pain or a medical condition requiring diagnosis. A treatment that shows promise for knee osteoarthritis cannot automatically be assumed to help unexplained shoulder pain or persistent low-back pain.

Red light therapy is therefore better viewed as a possible adjunct than as a universal pain treatment.

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the more encouraging musculoskeletal research areas.

The 2025 umbrella review found moderate-certainty evidence for improvement in osteoarthritis-related disability. The separate 2024 systematic review also reported improvements in pain and disability when particular wavelengths and doses were used.

This does not mean that PBM reverses osteoarthritis or rebuilds joint

cartilage. It may help some people manage symptoms and movement tolerance alongside exercise, medical care, activity modification and other appropriate treatments.

Research has examined PBM for conditions involving the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon, rotator cuff and lateral elbow.

The overall results are mixed but potentially useful. In the 2021 systematic review, PBM combined with exercise produced better pain and function results than sham treatment combined with exercise in some comparisons. It was not consistently superior to other active treatments.

That distinction matters. Red light therapy may support a tendon rehabilitation program, but it should not replace progressive loading, movement assessment or investigation of the factors repeatedly aggravating the tendon.

Red light therapy may help reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness after demanding or unfamiliar exercise.

A 2025 review found moderate reductions in soreness at 72 and 96 hours in the studies that could be combined statistically. Some muscle-strength measurements also improved at earlier follow-up points.

These findings are promising, but they do not prove that PBM repairs every exercise-related injury or guarantees faster recovery. Ordinary post-workout soreness is also different from a strain, tendon injury, stress fracture or other condition requiring assessment.

Claims about red light therapy for back pain deserve particular caution.

A 2020 systematic review concluded that current evidence did not support PBM for decreasing pain or disability in people with nonspecific low-back pain.

That does not prove that nobody with back pain will notice a benefit. It does mean that red light therapy should not be advertised as an established treatment for low-back pain in general.

New, severe or unexplained back pain—particularly when accompanied by weakness, numbness, changes in bowel or bladder control, fever or significant trauma—requires medical assessment.

Photobiomodulation may influence some cellular pathways and inflammatory mediators. That is not the same as proving that it meaningfully reduces every inflammatory condition.

Inflammation is part of the body’s normal response to injury, infection and tissue loading. It can be helpful, harmful or simply one component of a much more complicated problem.

Red light therapy should not be described as “removing inflammation” from the body. It also should not be used to delay assessment of unexplained swelling, warmth, redness, fever or rapidly worsening symptoms.

A more defensible description is that red and near-infrared light may influence inflammatory signalling in certain tissues and conditions. Whether that produces a noticeable clinical benefit depends on the person and the treatment protocol.

Current evidence does not justify promising that red light therapy will:

• Cure arthritis or reverse joint degeneration
• Heal a muscle tear, ligament injury or tendon problem by itself
• Eliminate chronic pain regardless of its cause
• Replace exercise, rehabilitation, medication or medical care
• Guarantee faster recovery or an earlier return to sport
• Prevent future injuries
• Produce the same results with every device or treatment schedule
• Work simply because the treatment area feels warm or looks red
• Deliver better results when the exposure time or intensity is increased

It should also not be used to mask pain so that someone can continue loading a potentially serious injury without assessment.

“Red light therapy” covers a wide range of equipment.

Clinical studies have used both lasers and LED devices. These can differ considerably in wavelength, power, irradiance, beam size, treatment distance, energy delivered and the area exposed.

Important variables include:

• The wavelength or combination of wavelengths
• The amount of energy reaching the treatment area
• The device’s distance from the skin
• The size and depth of the target tissue
• The length and frequency of treatment
• Whether PBM is used before exercise, after exercise or during rehabilitation
• The condition being treated
• Whether treatment is combined with exercise or another intervention

This makes it difficult to take a result from one research protocol and assume that every professional panel, laser or home device will produce the same outcome.

It is also why “more” is not automatically better.

At-home devices vary widely. Some may be useful for convenient, repeated exposure, but a product’s size, brightness or price does not demonstrate that it delivers a research-supported dose.

Before buying or using a home device, look for clear information about:

• Wavelengths
• Irradiance at the recommended distance
• Treatment time
• Energy dose
• Intended treatment area
• Safety instructions
• Eye-protection requirements
• The specific condition or purpose for which the device is intended

Professional treatment does not guarantee a result either. Its advantage is the opportunity to select the treatment area, screen for concerns and integrate light therapy into a broader plan based on the person’s symptoms and goals.

At Excelsior Integrative, Red Light Therapy is used primarily as a targeted recovery modality for musculoskeletal concerns, rather than as a cosmetic or full-body light treatment.

We use a flexible red and near-infrared photobiomodulation system that can be positioned directly over a specific area such as the shoulder, knee, hip, low back or extremities. Treatment is focused on the region most relevant to the person’s pain, irritation or recovery goals.

Red Light Therapy can be booked as a focused standalone treatment, although at our clinic it is most commonly incorporated into a Massage Therapy + Red Light Therapysession, where a targeted light treatment can be used alongside individualized hands-on RMT care.

Red and near-infrared light are not ultraviolet radiation, but that does not mean every device, dose or treatment area is appropriate for everyone.

Eye protection and the device’s exposure instructions should be followed. Excessive or inappropriate exposure may cause irritation, discomfort or other unwanted effects.

Tell the practitioner before treatment if you have:

• A condition that causes sensitivity to light
• Medication or topical products that may increase photosensitivity
• An eye condition or concern about light exposure
• Active cancer, a suspicious lesion or a history of cancer in the proposed treatment area
• An active infection, open wound or unexplained skin change in the area
• Pregnancy or another medical situation for which treatment safety is uncertain

These factors do not necessarily mean that treatment is impossible. They may mean that medical guidance, additional screening or a different approach is needed.

A 2024 review involving PBM in cancer care also recommended caution over areas containing known or possible tumours because long-term safety evidence remains incomplete.

Where Red Light Therapy Fits in a Recovery Plan

Red light therapy is most sensibly used as supportive care.

Depending on the person and condition, a broader plan may include:

• Medical assessment or diagnosis
• Progressive exercise and rehabilitation
• Temporary changes to training or activity
• Massage therapy or other hands-on care
• Sleep and recovery support
• Medication when recommended by a physician
• Strength, mobility or load-management work
• Monitoring symptoms and adjusting the plan when necessary

The purpose of adding red light therapy is not to replace these components. It is to determine whether targeted light exposure offers a useful additional benefit.

Red light therapy may be worth considering when pain, joint discomfort, muscle soreness or slow recovery is interfering with comfortable movement. Whether it makes sense depends on the condition, the treatment goal and what else is included in the recovery plan.

At Excelsior Integrative near Yonge and Eglinton, we offer targeted red light therapy as a standalone appointment or alongside other appropriate services.

Learn more about Red Light Therapy at Excelsior Integrative and decide whether this recovery-focused option fits your needs.