Red Light Therapy for Arthritis: Defining Exactly What Works

This post might contain affiliate links. This is not medical advice. Read my disclosures and disclaimers.

Red light therapy for arthritis: Which device and specs work best?

I searched the literature for successful arthritis red light therapy studies to find the wavelengths that ease joint pain, reduce inflammation, and increase mobility.

The best results came from 808 nm and 1060 nm infrared light. But the evidence supports using other wavelengths as well.

Takeaways:

Evidence supports using the wavelengths below to ease the pain and inflammation of arthritis:

633 nm
670 nm
780 nm
808 nm
810 nm
820 nm
830 nm
904 nm
1060 nm

Red Light Therapy for Arthritis

The arthritis in my right knee started in 1978 when I fell knee-first onto the ice. The injury resulted in a loose bone chip floating around, causing more damage. I had that chip surgically removed.

In 2003, I discovered Bill Phillips’ Body for Life exercise program. I built up to doing deep squats while holding a barbell above my head. I was strong, but my knee was about to break.

a man sitting in a chair with a red light

I was about to let the dog out the back door one day when the phone rang. As I twisted around to answer it, my knee exploded with pain. I couldn’t believe how much it hurt. After the cortisone kicked in, I participated in months of physical therapy. After a year or two, I had a functional right knee that allowed me to walk, anyway. Stairs were another matter. Whether going up or down the stairs, my knee only pretended to help.

Then, in 2019, I discovered red light therapy. I used a light on my knee, maybe not expecting much. The results were phenomenal. Today, I can take two stairs at a time without any pain. My knee doesn’t buckle underneath me when going downstairs, either.

I don’t know if red light therapy could have achieved these gains, but physical therapy and red light therapy combined turned everything around. I no longer contemplate getting a knee replacement. I’m not in pain.

Admittedly, I don’t push my luck. I’m not doing deep squats or leaning excessively on my knee. But it’s good for standing, walking, and climbing the stairs, and I’m happy with that. Red light therapy for arthritis works if you use the correct device correctly. It reduces inflammation, improves blood flow, and stimulates cartilage repair. It also stops pain signaling through multiple neural pathways.

How Red Light Therapy for Arthritis Works

Red light therapy reduces the inflammation at the heart of arthritis pain and stiffness. Studies show it has an analgesic (aspirin-like) effect on pain perception. Red light therapy dislodges nitric oxide from the mitochondria to blood vessels, which triggers dilation.

The extra blood and nutrition give the body the materials it needs to heal. The photons absorbed in the mitochondria have the direct effect of bringing the biological energy factories back online.

This gives the body the energy to use the materials to heal itself.

Multiple red light therapy actions help with arthritis inflammation, repair, and mobility:

Increased blood flow
Reduced inflammation signalling
Increased energy for repair
Blocking of prostaglandins and cytokines
COX-2 inhibition
Increased autophagy
Reduced pain signal generation

Red light therapy increases nitric oxide, which triggers improved blood flow. The blood carries nutrition and oxygen to joints in need of repair.

The therapy also energizes mitochondria, which are cells that make energy. The body uses the new power for tissue repair.

Red light therapy blocks cytokines and prostaglandins that cause excess inflammation.

It also inhibits the COX-2 enzyme that causes pain signaling. Ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) are COX-2 inhibitors.

Red light therapy invokes the same pain-squelching activity as Ibuprofen but without the side effects.

The therapy helps remove waste products by causing autophagy, the cellular cleanup process. This brings toxins to the lymph system for disposal.

As inflammation goes down, the range of motion increases in the joints. Walking and bending becomes easier and do not cause pain.

Table: Red Light Therapy Arthritis Studies

STUDY	FINDINGS
Effect of Low Level Laser Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	The subjects had carpal tunnel patients and rheumatoid arthritis. Red light therapy correlated with a decrease in wrist pain and an increase in wrist functionality.
Improvement of Pain and Disability in Elderly Patients with Degenerative Osteoarthritis of the Knee Treated with Narrow‐Band Light Therapy	The geriatric subjects suffered from degenerative osteoarthritis and associated pain. After red light therapy on the affected knees, subjects reported significantly less pain.
Photobiomodulation via a Cluster Device Associated With a Physical Exercise Program in the Level of Pain and Muscle Strength in Middle-Aged and Older Women With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial	The subjects were middle-aged women suffering from arthritis in the knees. Researchers compared exercise and red light therapy to exercise and a placebo treatment. They found that subjects receiving red light therapy and appropriate physical therapy had significantly less inflammation and pain.
The clinical efficacy of low-power laser therapy on pain and function in cervical osteoarthritis.	The subjects entered the study with osteoarthritis in the neck. After red light therapy, subjects had significantly more range of motion and less pain.
The effect of low-level laser in knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.	The subjects were older adults suffering from osteoarthritis in the knees. The researchers compared red light therapy to a placebo treatment. The group treated with red light therapy had a significantly better range of mission, reduced inflammation, and less pain.
Efficacy of different therapy regimes of low‐power laser in painful osteoarthritis of the knee: A double‐blind and randomized‐controlled trial	This study also researched the effects of red light therapy on pain and motion in subjects suffering from knee osteoarthritis. The treated group had significantly reduced pain and inflammation.
Can Photobiomodulation Associated With Implantation of Mesenchymal Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Attenuate the Expression of MMPs and Decrease Degradation of Type II Collagen in an Experimental Model of Osteoarthritis?	In this study, red light therapy prevented the arthritic process from degrading by stimulating stem cells to make more collagen.
Effect of Light-Emitting Diodes Therapy (LEDT) on Knee Extensor Muscle Fatigue	Red light therapy reduced the amount of fatigue caused by exercise, allowing subjects to exercise longer and do more repetitions.

Wavelengths for Arthritis Therapy

a man with a beard and mustache — This picture is for demonstration only. Infrared light can reach through clothing, but red light cannot.

I pulled the studies on joint health from Dr. Vladimir Heiskanen’s Photobiomodulation (red light therapy) Database. Which wavelengths did researchers study the most, and which were the best at relieving pain and inflammation?

While this is not a statistically rigorous analysis, I am happy to report that my results are similar to those achieved by Drs. Gendron and Hamblin when they did use statistically rigorous methods to answer this question.

Photobiomodulation Database Arthritis Studies

I researched the photobiomodulation (red light therapy) studies mentioning osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. I made a note of the wavelengths used in each study. Then, I removed studies with poor results. I used these color names for the wavelengths:

TABLE: Wavelength Ranges and Their Color Names

Wavelengths	near-infrared (NIR)
380-430 nm	violet
430-500 nm	blue
500-520 nm	cyan
520-565 nm	green
565-580 nm	yellow
580-625 nm	orange
625-740 nm	red
740-1400 nm	near infrared (NIR)
1400-10000 nm	far infrared (FIR)

The Best Arthritis Red Light Therapy Colors

Infrared is the best wavelength range for arthritis relief, and the studies with the best results use infrared wavelengths. Only a handful of studies use non-infrared wavelengths, so we don’t know if infrared is the best or just the best-studied wavelength. The results for each color are in the table below.

TABLE: Wavelengths (Colors) Best at Relieving Arthritis Pain

Color	Successful Arthritis Studies
Violet	0
Blue	4
Green	3
Yellow	1
Orange	1
Red	25
Near Infrared	104
Far Infrared	3

Is Blue Light Good for Arthritis?

Three out of four studies using 405 nm blue helped relieve arthritis, and one study using 480 nm blue also worked. This is a small sample with promising results, but I don’t know if we can conclude anything from the data.

Blue Wavelengths	The Number of Studies of this Wavelength	Minus Less than Excellent Results	Leaving this Many Successful Studies	% Successful
405	4	1	3	75%
480	1	0	1	100%

Is Green Light Good for Arthritis?

Three studies using 536 nm green did well, but one study using 560 nm did not do as well. Green is promising, but there’s not enough data to support this claim.

Green Wavelengths	The Number of Studies of this Wavelength	Minus Less than Excellent Results	Leaving this Many Successful Studies	% Successful
536	3	0	3	100%
560	1	0	0	0%

Is Yellow Light Good for Arthritis?

Only one study used yellow. It was helpful for arthritis, but obviously, we cannot make conclusions with loc=”header” confirmation.

Yellow Wavelengths	The Number of Studies of this Wavelength	Minus Less than Excellent Results	Leaving this Many Successful Studies	% Successful
570	1	0	1	100%

Is Orange Light Good for Arthritis?

There is one successful 600 nm orange study, so orange is worth studying more.

Orange Wavelengths	The Number of Studies of this Wavelength	Minus Less than Excellent Results	Leaving this Many Successful Studies	% Successful
600	1	0	1	100%

Is Red Light Good for Arthritis?

Twenty-four of 33 red light arthritis studies showed significant pain relief. Nine studies had less than optimal results. Researchers tested 633 nm red 13 times with 11 successes and two failures. They tested 660 nm 7 times with one success and six failures. Remember, this is not a scientifically rigorous report.

633 nm works well because it is a bioactive wavelength for wound healing, wrinkling, and acne relief. We probably see a protocol error repeated as the data is re-interpreted and dissected. Within the red wavelength range, we have the most evidence for using 633 nm and not 660 nm.

Red Wavelengths	The Number of Studies of this Wavelength	Minus Less than Excellent Results	Leaving this Many Successful Studies	% Successful
628	1	0	1	100%
630	4	0	4	100%
633	13	2	11	85%
635	1	0	1	100%
640	1	0	1	100%
650	1	0	1	100%
658	2	1	1	50%
660	7	6	1	85%
670	2	0	2	100%
685	1	0	1	100%

Is Infrared Light Good for Arthritis?

Infrared heat is good for arthritis, but we are talking about sending light into the body rather than shaking the molecules to warm them up. Researchers conducted many studies using 808 nm, 830 nm, 940 nm, and 1060 nm.

1060 nm ranked first, with most studies using that wavelength, which resulted in significant arthritis pain reduction. Of 12 studies using 1060 nm, 12 had positive results. The 808 nm, 830 nm, and 904 nm were tested multiple times, confirming their efficacy against arthritis inflammation.

Near Infrared Wavelengths	The Number of Studies of this Wavelength	Minus Less than Excellent Results	Leaving this Many Successful Studies	% Successful
780	2	1	1	50%
785	2	1	1	50%
790	1	0	1	100%
807	2	1	0	100%
808	26	5	21	81%
809	1	0	1	100%
810	10	2	8	80%
811	2	0	1	100%
820	6	1	5	83%
830	23	5	18	78%
840	1	0	1	100%
850	4	0	4	100%
860	1	0	1	100%
870	2	0	2	100%
875	1	0	1	100%
880	2	1	1	50%
890	4	2	2	50%
903	1	0	1	100%
904	50	3	12	80%
905	5	2	3	60%
910	2	0	2	100%
940	3	0	3	100%
950	2	0	2	100%
980	1	1	0	0%
1060	12	0	12	100%
1320	1	1	0	100%
1400	1	0	1	100%

Is Far Red Light Good for Arthritis?

With three successful arthritis studies in the far infrared range, we can say that far infrared is worthy of more study.

Far Red Wavelengths	The Number of Studies of this Wavelength	Leaving this Many Successful Studies	% Successful
1560	1	1	100%
1600	1	1	100%
3400	1	1	100%

The Arthritis Wavelengths with the Most Evidence

Wavelength	Successful Studies
630	4
633	11
808	21
810	8
820	5
830	18
904	12
1060	12

The Elusive Arthritis Red Light Therapy Protocol

Drs. Gendron and Hamblin published a review of the red light therapy research on arthritis pain in a 2019 edition of Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine & Laser Surgery. They declared in the study’s Background:

“Photobiomodulation (PBM) was discovered over 50 years ago but has still not attained widespread acceptance by the medical community. This is partly due to uncertainty about the precise molecular mechanisms of action and a bewildering array of different wavelengths and dosimetric parameters employed in reported studies.”

That red light therapy significantly relieved arthritis pain was not in doubt. Two hundred seventy studies across multiple wavelengths confirmed that red light therapy had better results than drug therapy, especially given that red light therapy has no side effects. However, we are missing a consensus on the proper wavelength and dosing.

The good news is that many wavelengths reduce arthritis pain. There is no one holy grail of red light therapy for arthritis prescription. You have many choices.

The researchers pulled arthritis red light therapy studies from pubmed.gov to find which wavelengths had the best results. They pointed out the explosion of studies on red light therapy to relieve Musculoskeletal Disorders caused by Osteoarthritis (MSD/OA).

The journals printed 270 arthritis studies between 2000 and 2016, focusing on the ankle, wrist, elbow, back, shoulder, and knee. Researchers have published successful red light therapy for arthritis studies with these wavelengths having the most success:

632.8 nm
635 nm
670 nm
780 nm
810 nm
830 nm
904 nm
1064 nm

Compare these results to my less rigorous research:

Best Arthritis Wavelengths
My Cursory Wavelength Scan Best Wavelengths	Drs. Gendron and Hamblin’s Best Wavelengths
630
	632.8
633
	635
	670
	780
808	808
810	810
820
830	830
904	904
1060

Conclusion

Drs. Gendron and Hamblin’s meta-analysis results confirm what I found in Dr. Heiskanen’s Photobiomodulation Database. The 808 nm and 1060 nm wavelengths have the most evidence, and wavelengths in the 630s, 670s, 780s, and 820s, give or take 15 nm, are also effective. Red light therapy is a non-invasive, pain-free way of reducing arthritis pain and degeneration. It is available without a prescription.

The safest way to choose a red light therapy device for arthritis is to use my guide for pain relief and arthritis.

References

Gendron DJ, Hamblin MR. Applications of Photobiomodulation Therapy to Musculoskeletal Disorders and Osteoarthritis with Particular Relevance to Canada. Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg. 2019 Jul;37(7):408-420. doi: 10.1089/photob.2018.4597. PMID: 31265376; PMCID: PMC6648198.