Red Light Therapy for Pain: What the Research Shows
Red Light Therapy for Pain: What the Research Shows If you're dealing with chronic pain, you've probably heard of red light therapy — also called photobiomodulation or low-level laser therapy. But does the science actually back it up? Short answer: yes, with real but important caveats. Multiple peer-reviewed systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found that red and near-infrared light can reduce pain and improve function across several conditions. The evidence isn't perfect — many studies have small samples or inconsistent dosing — but the direction of the research is consistently positive. Here's what the research says, condition by condition. Knee Osteoarthritis A 2024 meta-analysis in Physical Therapy (Oliveira et al.) reviewed ten studies with 542 participants. It found photobiomodulation significantly reduced pain at rest compared to placebo, with a moderate effect size. The authors concluded PBM "reduces pain intensity in patients with knee osteoa...