Red Light Therapy for Neuropathy (Diabetic or Idiopathic)

Few pains are more frustrating than neuropathy, but red light therapy can help with the tingling, pain, and inflammation. If you have a suitable device, red light therapy for neuropathy works well.

What is Red Light Therapy for Neuropathy?

Red light therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate cellular processes in the body. It is used for neuropathy to drive relief from inflammation and nerve regeneration. In science, “red light therapy” is called “photobiomodulation,” which uses light to create biological change.

How Red Light Therapy Eases Neuropathy Pain

Research has shown that exposure to red and near-infrared (NIR) light can improve tissue repair, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain.

Increase in Energy

The mitochondria in the cells absorb the light energy from red light therapy devices. This boosts energy production, providing cells with the power to repair themselves. The mitochondria produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary source of cellular energy.

This boost in energy production helps cells perform their functions more effectively, promoting healing and reducing inflammation. The mitochondria engage in “retrograde signaling” that turns off chronic inflammation. The signal stops inflammation’s destruction and the pain sensitivity it creates. In my article about red light therapy for chronic pain, I explain the entire biological mechanism of how red light therapy increases ATP and reduces inflammation. 

Opioid Receptor Pain Relief

Peripheral opioid receptors are proteins found on the surface of cells outside the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. These receptors are part of the more prominent family of opioid receptors, which play a crucial role in pain relief and the body’s response to pain. When opioids, such as endorphins (naturally produced by the body) or pain-relief medications like morphine, bind to these receptors, they can reduce the sensation of pain. By acting on peripheral opioid receptors, pain relief treatments can directly target the source of pain without affecting the central nervous system.

This is precisely what red light therapy appears to be doing, according to a 2021 study[i] showing that it relieves pain by acting on peripheral opioid receptors and that leukocyte white blood cells activate these receptors. The researchers discovered that applying an infrared LED light to the site of a skin incision in mice reduced the mice’s sensitivity to pain.

This pain-relieving effect involves the peripheral opioid receptors outside the brain and spinal cord. Interestingly, the study showed that pain relief was prevented when a drug called naloxone, which blocks opioid receptors, was injected at the incision site. However, when naloxone was injected into the spinal cord, it didn’t stop the pain relief.

This finding indicates that the therapy works through these peripheral opioid receptors, not through the central nervous system.

Leukocytes Activate Peripheral Opioid Receptors to Reduce Pain

Additionally, the study found that a type of white blood cell called leukocytes activates these receptors. When a substance called fucoidin was given to the mice, it partially blocked the pain relief from the LED light. Fucoidin is a compound that inhibits leukocyte rolling, a process that helps white blood cells, or leukocytes, move to the site of inflammation or injury. When fucoidin was administered in the study mentioned earlier, it partially blocked the pain relief provided by the LED light therapy. This result suggests that leukocytes play a role in the pain relief mechanism.

This is significant because leukocytes contain opioid peptides, which can activate peripheral opioid receptors. When LED light therapy is applied to an inflamed or injured area, it may cause these leukocytes to release their opioid peptides, subsequently activating the peripheral opioid receptors and reducing pain. The fact that fucoidin partially blocked the analgesic effect of LED light therapy indicates that the involvement of leukocytes is an essential aspect of the pain relief mechanism.

Red Light Therapy Reduces Inflammatory Nitric Oxide

Red light therapy can raise and lower nitric oxide levels in the blood. As a pain reliever, it lowers nitric oxide, reducing its role in inflammation and pain signal transmission.

In pain and inflammation, nitric oxide contributes to pain sensation by increasing the sensitivity of nerve endings and amplifying pain signals. When red light therapy is applied to an inflamed or injured area, it can reduce the local concentration of nitric oxide.

The reduction leads to decreased inflammation, nerve-ending sensitivity, and pain perception. LED light therapy can provide a more targeted approach to pain management. It lowers nitric oxide levels at the site of inflammation or injury without affecting other body areas or causing unwanted side effects.

The Cells Must Receive the Light to Reduce Pain

As the photobiomodulation science is fond of saying, for light to be therapeutic, it must first be absorbed. What absorbs the light? The cells in our bodies. Specifically, the mitochondria inside the cells. There are many obstacles between the lamp and the mitochondria. Skin, blood, bone, tissue, and biological activity can prevent light from reaching the mitochondria.

Therefore, we want to maximize the amount of photon energy that reaches the cells and then provides neuropathy pain relief. This is why handheld and wrap (or pad) red light therapy devices work best for neuropathy.

How We Lose and Absorb Light

A device not on the skin can lose light to reflection, refraction, and distance. Reflection is when light bounces off the skin. It reflects away from the body. Refraction is when light passes from one material into another with a different density. In our case, it passes from the air to the skin.

Refraction causes light to bend because it travels at different speeds in different materials, changing direction at the boundary between the two substances. A common example of light refraction is when a straw appears bent or broken when placed in a glass of water.

Distance is the length between the device and the target. A device at zero inches from the target is touching the skin. A tabletop device, on the other hand, is at some length from the skin. As the lamp gets farther, its display gets wider. More of the light goes right past the target into the room.

Lamps at Zero Inch Distance Maximize Light Absorption

When pressed against the skin, the light is “at zero inches” distance. This position closes the gap, allowing light to reflect or bypass the target. Compare that to a tabletop that loses light to distance and then more light to reflection. The light that reflects off the skin is free to continue away from the body because nothing is over the skin to force the light into the body.

Types of Neuropathy that Red Light Therapy Can Relieve

Neuropathy can be a debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide. The numbness, tingling, and pain that come with nerve damage can make daily life a struggle. Although red light therapy is not shown to address the neurological aspects of the syndrome, it can help relieve the pain.

Neuropathy is often caused by poor blood flow, inflammation, and damage to the nerves, which makes red light therapy an obvious choice for symptom relief. It can result from various causes. One common cause is diabetes, which can lead to diabetic neuropathy when high blood sugar levels damage nerves over time.

Other medical conditions, such as autoimmune diseases, infections, and kidney disorders, can also contribute to neuropathy. Physical injuries can traumatize the nerves, leading to neuropathic pain.

Some medications, especially chemotherapy drugs, can also cause nerve damage. In some cases, neuropathy may be hereditary or idiopathic, meaning it arises spontaneously without a known cause. Whether caused by diabetes, autoimmune diseases, infections, genetic disorders, vitamin deficiencies, exposure to toxins, or certain medications, red light therapy can reduce and even eliminate neuropathy pain.

The Right Devices for Neuropathy

Red light therapy devices come in many forms. The best device types for neuropathy pain are wraps (or pads) and handhelds. The wrap and the handheld are most suited for addressing neuropathy pain because they deliver the photon energy in a way that maximizes neuropathy pain relief. This is because the pad and handheld sit directly on the skin, a surprisingly decisive factor in pain relief success.

What to Expect

Here’s what you need to know about the NovaaLab Light Pad and Extra Laser.

NovaaLab Light Pad and Extra Strength Laser Features

References

Cheng K, Martin LF, Slepian MJ, Patwardhan AM, Ibrahim MM. Mechanisms and Pathways of Pain Photobiomodulation: A Narrative Review. J Pain. 2021 Jul;22(7):763-777. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.02.005. Epub 2021 Feb 23. PMID: 33636371; PMCID: PMC8277709.