3+ Best Back Pain Red Light Therapies in 2024: Science Backed
The best red light therapy for pain uses red and infrared light, and optionally, green light in some cases.
The best devices include wraps because they allow you to put the device on the skin, preventing light from escaping.
Wraps are some of the best red light therapy devices for back pain.
They are large, and you can put them right up against your body to absorb all the light they emit.
NovaaLab Healing Pad
- Popular choice
- Generous pad size
Jazz Band Live
- Created for athletes
- Contouring wraps pad around the target
- Includes red light therapy, vibration and magnetic fields therapy
| Product | NovaaLab Light Pad |
| Excellent for | Arthritis, Muscle Aches, Neuropathy, Tendonitis |
| Price | $299 |
Light Pad Overview
The NovaaLab Light Pad is a quality budget pad for back and knee pain. It’s also the most popular red light therapy device on this website.
- fairly priced
- add your cell phone battery to make it portable
- very popular choice
- good for back and knee pain
Light Pad Key Benefits
Light Pad Price
NovaaLab runs frequent sales; you should be able to pick up the Pad for $299.90.
Light Pad Pros and Cons
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Our Take
The Light Pad is an effective, portable, affordable red light therapy pad for pain relief.
Therapy is hands-free, so you can do other things with your hands while using the Light pad. To make the light pad portable, get a cell phone USB battery.
NovaaLab has a generous 60-day return policy.
| Product | NovaaLab Light Pad |
| Excellent for | Arthritis, Muscle Aches, Neuropathy, Tendonitis |
| Price | $299 |
| Product | DNA Vibe Jazz Band Live ((Regenerlight)) |
| Excellent for | Arthritis, Muscle Aches, Neuropathy, Tendonitis |
| Price | $328.95 |
Jazz Band Live Overview
The Jazz Band Live has several neat innovations that no other back pain red light therapy wrap has.
Jazz Band Live soothes pain with magnetic fields, vibration, and red light therapy. The wavelengths are perfect for pain and inflammation reduction. The combination stimulates mitochondrial energy and reduces inflammation.
This bundle is ideal for those suffering from chronic pain, arthritis, or sports injuries. It can also be used as a preventative measure to maintain overall health and wellness.
Jazz Band Live Key Benefits
Jazz Band Live Pros and Cons
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Our Take
DNA Vibe adds magnetic fields and vibration therapy to the Jazz Band Live’s red and infrared light therapy.
Magnetic fields in the 8-10 Hz range are believed to synchronize the body to the Schumann Resonance natural frequency. I am not an expert on magnetic fields, but I did research PEMF, which is essentially the same therapy, and there is good evidence that this type of therapy is healing.
The Schumann resonance is the frequency between the ionosphere and the earth, created by the natural lightning energy that always occurs there.
The vibration feature is similar to a massage on a micro level that you don’t feel, but your muscles respond to it nonetheless.
The other advantage of the Jazz Band Live is its ability to contour to the ankles, shoulders, wrists, and knees. This is a nice feature that holds the healing LEDs close to the skin for maximum coverage.
| Product | DNA Vibe Jazz Band Live (Regenerlight) |
| Excellent for | Arthritis, Muscle Aches, Neuropathy, Tendonitis |
| Price | $328.95 |
Red and Infrared Light Therapy for Back Pain
I know I’m not the only one with a sore back.
On any given day, about 65 million Americans experience some form of back pain, according to the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University (source).
Mine comes from spondylolisthesis, a spinal fusion, arthritis, and stenosis. There are many other causes of back pain, including those below.
Red Light Therapy Can Alleviate Musculoskeletal Disorder Pain
Red light therapy is appropriate for musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries such as:
- Overuse, poor posture, lifting heavy objects, and sudden twisting movements can cause ligament strains.
- A spinal disc is herniated when the soft center protrudes through a tear in the outer layer. The “gel” puts pressure on nearby nerves.
- A narrowing of the spinal canal puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves in the spinal stenosis, which causes pain, numbness, and weakness.
- Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that can affect the back. I wrote a comprehensive guide to using red light therapy for knee osteoarthritis that you can view at this link: Red Light Therapy on Knee Replacements: How to Speed Surgery Healing
- Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle, increasing the risk of compression fractures in the spine.
- Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that can cause back pain.
- Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that can cause widespread muscle pain and fatigue, including in the back.
Near Infrared Light Therapy is Not Always The Way
Red light therapy is excellent for helping with muscle, bone, and ligament pain. But medical conditions such as kidney stones, infections, and cancer can cause back pain, too. These are not soft tissue or bone problems.
If I had one of these diseases, I would ask a medical professional before starting photobiomodulation (red light therapy).
Red light therapy is safe for kidney stones and infections. However, these problems require a medical consultation.
Don’t use red light therapy with cancer unless directed by a doctor. Red light therapy is used to help with cancer treatment side effects, but it is also a method to promote cell proliferation.
We don’t want cancer cell proliferation, so we don’t do red light therapy with cancer.
There is no evidence that red light therapy can cause cancer, but there is some evidence that it can exacerbate existing cancer. There’s a lot of debate about red light therapy and cancer that you can read in my article:Â Can Red Light Therapy Cause Cancer? The Simple Truth
What is Red Light Therapy (Low-Level Light Therapy/Photobiomodulation)?
Red light therapy is the low-energy delivery of visible and infrared light to promote healing.
Red light therapy is non-invasive, drug-free, and is available for at-home use without a prescription.
The cells absorb certain wavelengths of light. When they do, several healthy processes start, creating the following effects, all of which help ease back pain:
- increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to carry energy to cellular processes
- increased blood flow to help tissues heal
- reduced chronic inflammation that has become pathological
- reduced pain sensation, it stops the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain
How Does LED Light Therapy Help with Back Pain?
Red light therapy blocks the COX-2 enzyme. This is precisely how Ibuprofen works, but red light therapy doesn’t cause stomach bleeding. Blocking the enzyme alters and reduces your perception of pain.
Red light therapy triggers more collagen and elastin production, adding structure and stretch back into the back’s soft tissues.
The therapy also increases blood flow and ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the body’s biological batteries). The increased blood flow and ATP production provide oxygen, nutrition, and energy for the tissues to heal.
To learn more about how red light therapy can help with chronic pain, see my article What Happens When You Use Red Light Therapy for Chronic Pain?
Red Light Therapy Devices for Back Pain
Some red and infrared light therapy devices are more suitable for back pain.
The best device is a wrap (pad or belt) made of soft, flexible material.
Wraps have a wide area of lights, and they press the lights directly onto the skin.
This is iimportant for maximum absorption.
The skin contact allows the light to penetrate the skin, rather than reflect off of it.
Because they are pliable, wraps fit around arms and legs, unlike handhelds and panels.
A typical wrap fits on part of the back, while larger wraps can cover the whole back at once.
Wraps have adjustable closures, usually using Velcro to secure the wrap.
The LED lights on the wrap are usually arranged in a grid pattern. Depending on the size and model, the wrap may contain 100 to 300 individual LEDs.
Some wraps hold their shape, allowing you to contour them to arms and legs. The DNA Vibe Jazz Band Live and the CelLED iLED contour to arms and legs.
Wraps without contour scaffolding will unroll to a flat position when you let go. The Nushape Therapy Wrap, the Mito Red Light Therapy Belt, and the Novaa Lab Healing Pad are more supple and rely on Velcro closures to hold them in place..
Whether you get a contoured or “flat” wrap, you should wear it flat on your back.
The Pros and Cons of Using a Red Light Therapy Wrap for Back Pain
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References
Avci P, Gupta A, Sadasivam M, et al. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2013 Mar;32(1):41-52. (link)
Leal Junior EC, Lopes-Martins RA, Dalan F, et al. Effect of 830 nm low-level laser therapy in exercise-induced skeletal muscle fatigue in humans. Lasers Med Sci. 2009 Jul;24(4):425-431. (link)
