Does Red Light Therapy Work For Arthritis

What is red light therapy.

Does red light therapy work for arthritis.

Red light therapy is often touted as a cure all for many different conditions and illnesses but does it really work. Tests into rheumatoid and osteo arthritis have shown infrared and red light treatments applied individually or in combination can give effective short and medium term pain relief. It sounds really hokey that a light could make you feel better in all the ways but there is a lot of science behind it thousands of well run studies it s already fda approved for many uses and is used by doctors health spas and physical therapists and they actually know what the red light does it activates heals and energizes mitochondria i e. Red ir light also has an effect on cellular water increasing the distance between each water molecule.

Arthritis is primarily characterized by intense pain which worsens as the condition progresses. Light therapy is used as an effective treatment for arthritis joint mobility and pain reduction. Reactive oxygen species ros are released in small amounts after light therapy. Vasodilation is potentially stimulated by red ir light therapy something related to no and very significant for joint inflammation and arthritis.

One study found red and infrared light therapy cut osteoarthritis related pain by more than 50. Treatment of red and near infrared light has actually been used for arthritis since the late 1980 s. For people with psoriatic arthritis psa a dose of ultraviolet light whether from a natural or artificial source may be a simple safe and relatively inexpensive. 4 5 reduced nitric oxide production in theory will reduce the damage that causes arthritis.

We dive into the history of the treatment and its uses some of which are. Now it has now become a widely used form of treatment. Light therapy generally helps to alleviate all types of pain and fastens the healing process on any part of the body. Light therapy for psoriatic arthritis get more information about phototherapy from the sun or a light box and how it may be a safe effective treatment for your plaque psoriasis.

In early days of light therapy many health professionals were understandably sceptical about the treatment. As it turns out red light therapy reduces nitric oxide production by inhibiting the enzyme nitric oxide synthase. Red or infrared light directed toward the affected joint can help ease the pain with patients seeing results almost immediately. Red light and near infrared nir light therapy involve using wavelengths of light in the 660 nm red to 890 nm near infrared range a portion of the light spectrum that is considered bioactive.