|
Key Takeaways
Red light therapy, a type of photobiomodulation, has emerged as a popular form of post-exercise recovery for both athletes and fitness enthusiasts. This blog explains how red light therapy works and explores the research into its effectiveness—and where further research is needed. Finally, the author provides red light therapy guidelines and important considerations regarding its practicality as a recovery tool that health and exercise professionals can recommend to their clients.
|
Recovery from exercise and competition is a vital component of overall exercise training and programming, and paramount for high-level performance and continued improvement. If the rate of recovery is appropriate, higher training volumes and intensities are possible without the detrimental effects of overtraining. Therefore, it is essential that health and exercise professionals understand the physiological concept of recovery and recognize that considerable individual variability exists within the recovery process due to training status (trained vs. untrained), factors of fatigue and a person’s ability to deal with physical, emotional and psychological stressors.
Much contemporary research has explored numerous tactics for augmenting the recovery process, including various nutritional strategies, cold water immersion, stretching and compression garments. One newcomer to the training recovery arena is red light therapy. In this blog, we’ll define red light therapy, briefly explain how it may benefit physiological recovery and conclude with some evidence-based research findings and practical considerations for health and exercise professionals.
What Is Red Light Therapy?
Red light therapy is a relatively novel modality that shows promise in enhancing the recovery process. Red light therapy consists of the application of low-wavelength red light on the skin surface, with the intention of eliciting an array of physiological responses, such as improved circulation, treatment of skin disorders and cell regeneration. Interestingly, red light therapy was first used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to help with plant growth and healing astronaut wounds, among other uses. Since then, the application of red light therapy to different clinical and health applications has been scientifically investigated.
Note that while the terms red light therapy, photobiomodulation and low-level laser therapy are often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences among these terms. Photobiomodulation and low-level laser therapy are essentially the same thing and involve the use of low-power red or near-infrared light, while red light therapy is a subtype of photobiomodulation that involves the use of only low-power red light.
The Physiology of Red Light Therapy: How Does It Work?
The general premise of red light therapy is the use of light energy to stimulate cell function. Two of the primary physiological responses elicited by red light therapy are enhanced circulation and increased production of mitochondria. These physiological responses have two profound benefits as it pertains to exercise recovery:
- High-intensity cardiorespiratory and resistance exercise can impose considerable perturbations of the skeletal muscle, including damage to the sarcolemma, contractile proteins and connective tissue. These disturbances result in a diminished capacity to generate peak muscle forces that persists until repair is complete. The muscle damage impairs the ability to transport blood glucose into the skeletal muscle cell. This in turn leads to a decreased capacity to replenish glycogen stores. Skeletal muscle damage also leads to soreness and pain. Enhanced circulation reduces skeletal muscle damage and promotes better recovery.
- It is well known that high levels of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) are linked with superior performance in endurance-related events. However, VO2max also plays an integral role in recovery. Research has shown that individuals with a greater VO2max recover more quickly between repeated sprints, and consequently have a superior performance in the later bouts of a series of sprints. Increased production of mitochondria leads to higher VO2max levels and better recovery.
Evidence-based Research Findings
There is an impressive body of research on photobiomodulation and its effects on exercise recovery. Indeed, photobiomodulation has been found to reduce markers of inflammation (e.g., C-reactive protein) and oxidative stress (e.g., creatine kinase levels), increase running performance, increase weight-training repetitions and reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness. These findings have been described under a variety of exercise scenarios, including:
- Acute upper-body resistance exercise
- Acute lower-body resistance exercise
- Acute cardiorespiratory exercise
- Chronic lower-body resistance exercise
There is also robust research that shows that photobiomodulation provides clinically important benefits to recovery following high–intensity exercise. Moreover, it has been shown that photobiomodulation as a recovery modality is superior to cryotherapy (i.e., cold therapy).
Practical Considerations
Recovery is becoming increasingly important to fitness enthusiasts and athletes who are looking to reduce fatigue and enhance performance. It is paramount for health and exercise professionals to have an understanding of the relevant evidence for different recovery methods and strategies, including red light therapy, and help point clients in the right direction in terms of what options are best.
From a practical standpoint, there is considerable promise for the application of red light therapy as a viable post-exercise recovery method. However, there are a number of important considerations of which professionals should be mindful.
- Red light therapy guidelines: Currently, there are no specific guidelines for implementing red light therapy into the overall exercise paradigm as a recovery approach. Put another way, the optimal frequency, intensity, time and type (i.e., the FITT principle) of red light therapy are unknown.
- Red light therapy devices: Another challenge for professionals to navigate is the wide array of commercially available red light therapy devices. For instance:
- Red light therapy mask: A device that fits on the face and includes red light emitting diode (LED) lights on the inside pointing toward the skin
- Red light therapy bed: A device similar to a tanning bed but with red LED lights instead of ultraviolent lights. This device exposes the entire body to the red light therapy.
- Red light therapy panel: A device that consists of a panel of varying sizes with red LED lights that can be mounted to a table or wall. Depending on panel size, smaller or larger portions of the body can be exposed to the red light therapy.
- Red light therapy wand: A handheld device with red LED lights on the end that can be applied to various muscle groups to which the user wants to expose the red light therapy
Next Steps and Take-home Message
Despite the robust evidence on the benefits of photobiomodulation on exercise recovery, the reality is that the many types of red light therapy devices available to be used in the home or gym are not the same quality as those used in research settings in terms of optimal dosage and penetration. As such, many commercially available red light therapy options are likely to be less powerful, and therefore less effective at enhancing circulation and increasing mitochondrial function. Overall, a cautious and purposeful trial-and-error approach is warranted when using red light therapy. Consulting with a client’s medical team would be prudent to ensure red light therapy is not contraindicated and is a safe option. Future research will undoubtedly provide more clear-cut guidelines and identify the best red light therapy options for health and exercise professionals to use with clients.
If you are interested in learning more about how to unlock the power of recovery for peak performance and well-being, check out The Science of Rest: Techniques for Optimal Recovery (worth 0.3 ACE CECs). While this course does not cover red light therapy specifically, it dives deep into the mechanisms and application of many of the most popular recovery tools, focusing on how recovery can help clients improve energy stores, reduce soreness, enhance joint mobility and stay motivated to pursue their health and fitness goals.
Leave a Reply