Neck-Pain Relief with Red Light Therapy
Neck pain can be debilitating, but there are a number of treatments available to alleviate the pain.
In this article, we’ll explore a variety of practical solutions for reducing neck pain, so you can do more of what you enjoy.
Red light therapy is a non-invasive solution that uses the healing properties of natural light to stimulate the mitochondria, resulting in holistic improvements for health.
Read on for more information or check out the LIT LAB SOLUTIONS to learn more about the best red light therapy panels on the market.
In the next section, we provide some background about red light therapy. If you’re eager to see the connection between RTL and neck pain healing, feel free to skip ahead one section.
An Introduction to LED Light Therapy
LED therapy involves the exposure of therapeutic light wavelengths to the skin. The light itself can be delivered from a number of devices, including LED beds, panels, masks, and wands.
Red light therapy treatment can lead to numerous health and lifestyle benefits. Mounting clinical studies show the empirical benefits of treatment in a surprisingly broad number of ways.
Light has been used for thousands of years as a form of treatment, as nominal Sun exposure is traditionally understood to be healthy. But the first modern instance of light therapy took place in the 1990s by NASA. While conducting experiments on growing plants in space, NASA researchers accidentally discovered that the scientists in orbit were experiencing faster wound healing as a result of attending to plants that were bathed in red light.
Before that, red light had just been used to stimulate plant growth, but they discovered that it also had benefits for humans!
The first form of red light therapy clinical treatment involved the use of lasers. This progressed into the use of light diodes.
In 2015, PlatinumLED was the first company to offer therapeutic panels directly to the consumer market. Over the years, PlatinumLED has continued to research and evolve its red light therapy panels to provide the optimal array of therapeutic wavelengths.
We believe that the optimal RLT setup emits the following wavelengths: 630nm, 660nm, 810nm, 830nm, 850nm, and 960nm, along with 480nm traces of blue; provided by all the RLT panels in the LIT LAB SOLUTIONS for numerous therapeutic benefits.
In the following section, we provide more information about how red light therapy may be specifically used to treat head and neck pain.
Light Therapy as a Remedy for Head and Neck Pain
One clinical study found that short treatments over the course of four weeks significantly reduced chronic neck pain. Another study found that very short RLT sessions significantly reduced neck pain after acupuncture.
So, how does this work?
During treatment, R/NIR+ wavelengths absorb into the neck, the shoulders and the upper-back.
This light stimulates healing by reducing chronic inflammation, improving blood circulation, and by improving cellular metabolism.
One of the most important benefits of light therapy is to reduce inflammation. If you are suffering from shoulder impingement syndrome, neck stiffness from too much computer or smartphone work, nerve compression, an injury such as whiplash, worn neck vertebrae, or muscle strains, then the whole head/neck/shoulder/upper back area could be inflamed. If time and physical therapy don’t resolve that issue, inflammation can become chronic.
Acute (short-term) inflammation is an important part of healing. However, if the source of the neck pain isn’t addressed, the inflammation persists and starts to interfere with healing.
As a neck injury heals, the pain subsides. But poor biomechanics, repetitive motion and other underlying causes could cause the inflammation to persist. Under those circumstances, the pain could return even if it is relieved temporarily.
Assuming that preventive measures are taken in the case of chronic neck pain, it’s still necessary to treat the current pain and to help the area heal.
Chronic inflammation can interfere with a cell’s ability to produce enough energy to perform its functions. This results in cells that aren’t able to do their jobs but are also more vulnerable to damage and early death.
Light therapy using red, near-infrared, and infrared wavelengths boosts the ability of the cells’ mitochondria to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which fuels your cells and helps them function more efficiently. Red light therapy targets a molecule in each cell called cytochrome c oxidase. The interaction of light with these molecules stimulates mitochondrial activity.
Light therapy also boosts collagen production which is essential for tissue repair, as well as improving skin tone.
At the same time, light therapy reduces pain, accelerates the heang process, promotes tissue regeneration, and helps prevent cell death.
This combination is at the heart of resolving chronic or acute neck pain.
Patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, neuropathic pain, muscle pain, and low back pain have experienced relief using red light therapy.
How To Use Light Therapy to Treat Neck Pain
A single light therapy session may give temporary relief but it’s important to support healing with regular use.
Every day or several times a week, sit or stand in front of the light therapy device and allow the light photons to absorb into bare skin (move hair and clothing out of the way).
You can do several short light therapy sessions every day if you like, but consistent treatment over time will give you the best results.
Many people experience pain relief after one session but stick with it. Think of light therapy as ongoing maintenance, as a way to support your body at the cellular level. The results you feel after one session will become amplified over time.
In general, red light therapy is safe and effective when used as directed. Side effects, if any, may include temporary redness and tightness due to increased blood flow.
Best RLT Devices for Neck Pain Relief
As we’ve mentioned, choosing the right light therapy device is key to experiencing the results you want. Look for power output, or the amount of light energy that actually reaches your cells, the most therapeutic wavelengths, and a device large enough to meet your treatment needs.
The 8th generation LIT LAB SOLUTIONS series includes four panel sizes ranging from the LIT LAB SOLUTIONS 300 for targeted use such as facial rejuvenation or neck pain; two mid-range sizes that expand your treatment options; and the LIT LAB SOLUTIONS 900, a full-body treatment device that delivers the most power in its class.
