RED LIGHT THERAPY
Red light therapy promises accelerated recovery and has become a key tool for professional athletes looking to get back into action as soon as possible. But is it too good to be true?
Ben Earl, Saracens and England rugby star, was hobbling off the pitch on crutches before the match against Harlequins could even begin in November 2023. A medical scan revealed that Earl had damaged the cartilage in his right knee during the warm-up. Within a few days, he was lying on the operating table.
Earl had suffered a damaged meniscus, which can require up to six months to recover from. Fortunately, an operation can reduce the recovery time required. And courtesy of a luxury performance centre in London, Earl was hiding an innovative trump card up his sleeve: a mysterious high-tech form of recovery that has grown in popularity among athletes over the past decade: red light therapy.
The science
Red light therapy, also known as ‘photobiomodulation’, refers to the practice of shining red to near-infrared light on a specific body part to stimulate recovery. Scientists aren’t absolutely certain about how it works. But the widely accepted theory is that, when the photons of light enter cells in the targeted area, they stimulate the mitochondrion otherwise known as the ‘power plants’ of the cells. These mitochondrion then crank up their production of ATP, which provides energy for cellular processes.
If the cells operate faster, then the tissue repairs itself quicker too.
Although red light therapy has only become popular in the sports world over the last few years, the concept has been around for over 100. The Danish scientist Dr Niels Finsen started experimenting with sunlight as a method of treatmentin the late 19th century after developing a form of dementia. Following his instinct, he manufactured a device that could concentrate the light on small areas. He used it on the lesions of patients suffering from a form of tuberculosis. According to his results, his treatment cured over half of his patients. Dr Finsen won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for the discovery.
Over time, scientists learnt that light with wavelengths in the range of red to near-infrared (invisible to the human eye) was optimal for stimulating recovery. They’ve performed studies that supported its use to treat a variety of superficial conditions like acne, hair loss, and wounds. After 1960, when an American engineer manufactured the first laser, they also discovered that they could even treat cells deeper within the body. The lasers were more powerful than standard lights and could penetrate beneath the surface of the skin. Regulatory organisations, like the US Food and Drugs Administration, approved them for use in clinical settings just after the turn of the millennium. This treatment then became known as ‘low-level laser therapy’, ‘low-po
