Pain and LED light therapy
It is very common that with age, comes joint pain. Some adults suffer from chronic pain which can lead to expensive medical bills, prescription dependencies, and even anxiety and depression. Pain is not only physically draining, but it can also negatively impact your mental health. While there are many different things on the market that can help with pain management, one that we recommend you try is LED light therapy.
LED light therapy is good for more than just addressing skin concerns. It can provide whole-body benefits from the inside out. The wavelengths of light can go well beyond the skin, deep enough to help with pain management.
What is Infrared (IR) Light Therapy?
IR light therapy utilizes a process that is similar to photosynthesis because like plants, human bodies have the ability to absorb particles of light. As the body absorbs this light, it transforms that energy into ATP which is the form of energy that fuels metabolic processes, improves cellular performance, and can help with tissue repair and regeneration. This type of LED light therapy uses three color wavelengths: blue, red, and near infrared. Blue and red were talked about in our previous blog posts but in short, can provide benefits for acne treatment, collagen production, and antiaging.
Infrared light offers a whole new range of medical benefits due to its ability to penetrate deep below the skins surface. IR light can travel deep enough to target muscle and joint pain at the source, providing relief from inflammation and injury.
How does LED light therapy help with pain?
Pain can present itself in many ways. Whether it is a temporary or long-lasting ache or pain it can be difficult to treat. LED light therapy uses specific wavelengths of light energy that stimulate a natural response deep in the tissue. This can increase circulation, accelerate tissue repair, ease muscle pain, relieve joint stiffness, and offer a better overall cell performance. IR light therapy boosts cellular energy and helps accelerate the body’s natural healing process.
Celluma light therapy offers a unique blend that travels deep enough below the skins surface to absorb even more light energy and give you as much relief as possible. Celluma’s portable device makes it even easier for you to get pain relief and treatment from the comfort of your own home. By using the lightweight, handheld device for just 30-minutes a day, you can help begin to manage whatever pain you are experiencing. The treatment is noninvasive, safe for all skin types, and requires no recovery time.
By penetrating deep beyond the surface of the skin, IR light therapy is clinically proven to provide pain relief as well as therapeutic benefits for all.
Benefits of LED light therapy for pain
Pain management for specific conditions
Rheumatoid Arthritis: this autoimmune disease attacks healthy joints which causes pain, inflammation, and reduced mobility of the joints. A study done by the National Library of Medicine found that red LED light therapy reduced joint pain by 70% in patients that suffered from the condition.
Osteoarthritis: this degenerative condition is caused by the damage or breakdown of the joint cartilage found between our bones. Another study done by the National Library of Medicine found that red and IR light treatment caused remarkable results in elderly patients.
Return-to-play: after an injury, many athletes go through extensive recovery processes to get back to playing the sports they love as soon as possible. A study that was published in the professional journal of Laser Therapy described a significant acceleration of return-to-play after just two sessions using light therapy on the injury area. Those treated had an average of 9.6 days until returning to play while those with no treatment averaged 19.23 days. Light therapy cut the return time almost in half.
Back Pain: something almost everyone experiences at some point in their life. In fact, almost 80% of the population have experienced back pain at some point. A Canadian study found that those who used infrared light therapy resulted in an increased reduction in the chronic back pain.
LED light therapy can also treat scar pain and reduce the appearance of scarring.
Comparing LED light with Cold Lasers
LED Light Technology |
Cold Laser Technology |
Inexpensive - Costs can range from $299 to $2,995 depending on the device or service |
Expensive - Ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 |
Can mold and fit to the body (or treatment area) |
Does not mold or fit to the body |
Can cover a large treatment area |
Can only cover a very small treatment area |
Polychromatic light - Treats a variety of skin and muscle issues - Penetrates deep into skin - Can treat the surface layer of the skin all the way down to the subcutaneous layer |
Monochromatic lasers - Less versatile - Restricted in how many issues they can treat |
Low-Level Light |
Low-Level Light |
Incoherent light - Safe |
Coherent light beams - Can be linked to risk of thermal injury to tissues and retina |
Portable |
Sometimes portable |
Option to resale/rent to patients |
In-office use only, must be done by a trained professional |
How fast does it work?
While every person is different, and every condition requires a different amount of time to recover, LED light therapy can significantly improve the length of time the recovery will take. Most chronic conditions can take many months of consistent LED light therapy before the pain completely disappears. However, this treatment can also decrease the chance of the condition returning. You may notice faster and positive results from trying light therapy to treat chronic pain.
If having a one hour treatment at Anika Skincare in Hudson, NH, and experience pain , in some cases the Cellumas pain panel can be used during your facial treatment.
Call 603-595-0224 to schedule your facial treatments. Appointment only Saturday.