Red Light Therapy for Sciatica (Back + Leg Pain Relief)
Piriformis syndrome is that nagging ache down your leg that involves the sciatic nerve. It ruins your day and makes it hard to sleep at night. Red light therapy is an excellent method to reduce the pain, inflammation, and movement restriction that piriformis syndrome causes.
Takeaways:
Red light therapy:
- Inhibits pain signals
- Reduces inflammation
- Improves cartilage repair
- Works better than ultrasound, heat, and stretching for sciatica relief
Red Light Therapy for Sciatica
Piriformis syndrome is when the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve. It causes pain, tingling, or numbness in the buttocks, hips, and legs. It is a neuromuscular disorder that affects 0.3% to 6% of the population, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and about 5% of the population, according to Harvard University. Piriformis syndrome can be caused by too little activity, too much activity, or an anatomic issue.
The piriformis is a small muscle located deep within the buttocks. It is located near the top of the hip joint. It is one of several muscles that make up the hip rotator group. It helps stabilize and rotate the hip. You use the piriformis when you turn the leg outward.
Interaction of Piriformis Muscle with Sciatic Nerve
The sciatic nerve passes beneath the piriformis muscle. However, a small percentage of the population runs through it. This anatomical variation can make these individuals more susceptible to piriformis syndrome. When tight or inflamed, the muscle can irritate or compress the sciatic nerve more easily.
Science of Red Light Therapy for Piriformis Syndrome
The syndrome is both neural and muscular. While hundreds to thousands of studies show the success of red light therapy (RLT) for both, only a few studies have been conducted on piriformis syndrome and RLT.
However, science is abundant in the high-power use of the same wavelengths that red light therapy uses. This makes sense because the wavelengths resonate similarly regardless of the delivery power.
Red Light Therapy is Better than Ultrasound, Heat, and Stretching for Piriformis Syndrome
Piriformis is a neurological (sciatic nerve) and muscular (piriformis muscle) disorder. Based only on the National Institute of Health’s medical database at pubmed.gov, the RLT science looks like this. There are:
- at least 96 red light therapy studies on the sciatic nerve
- at least 954 red light therapy studies on muscles
I’ve documented scores of soft-tissue injury, nerve pain, and muscle pain relief studies for you to view as well. Here are two:
- 7 Studies Showing Red Light Therapy Speeds Injury Healing
- 7 MORE Studies Show Red Light Therapy Helps Injured Athletes
Researchers published a red light therapy study on piriformis syndrome in a 2017 Journal of Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology entitled To Find the Efficacy of Therapeutic Laser for Piriformis Syndrome.
In this study, researchers compared laser and ultrasound therapies in relieving piriformis symptoms. Note that we are discussing a “low-level laser,” appropriate for red light therapy, and not a “regular” laser, which is quite high-powered. 15 subjects were treated with 905 nm infrared pulsed at 5000 Hz (much higher than most studies test for pulsation), using a power density of 12 mW/cm^2, for 2 minutes per session.
The second group of 15 subjects received an established ultrasound therapy combined with stretching and heat therapy. Results were calculated based on the subjects’ pain perception, range of motion, and ability to function (to use the hip and leg as needed).
The RLT group results were compared to the ultrasound group and the pre-treatment scores. By the second week of treatment, the RLT group had achieved significant pain relief and increased range of motion. The ultrasound group also achieved pain relief and increased range of motion, but the RLT group had even better outcomes than the ultrasound group’s scores.
How Red Light Therapy Reduces Piriformis Pain
How does RLT relieve the pain of piriformis syndrome? There are several theories, and all of these may contribute to success.
Red Light Therapy ATP Effects
One of the best-understood mechanisms of red light therapy is the increase in ATP that it produces. ATP is adenosine triphosphate, the energy currency cells use to rebuild and repair. RLT therapy significantly increases the ATP produced after treatment, providing energy for repairing the sciatic nerve and piriformis muscle.
Red Light Therapy Blood Flow Effects
Equally well-established is the ability of red light therapy to open blood vessels and supply the injured area with oxygen and nutrition. RLT releases nitric oxide, probably from the mitochondria but possibly from other sources. Blood vessels open in the presence of nitric oxide, so blood flow probably accounts for some of RLT’s success in helping with piriformis syndrome.
Red Light Therapy Analgesic Pain Relief Effects
RLT has analgesic effects that we normally associate with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). Its activity reduces nerves’ ability to send pain signals to the brain. Pain relief is the result of COX-2 inhibition and reduction of prostaglandin synthesis. COX-2 inhibition is the same mechanism by which Ibuprofen reduces pain and inflammation. Prostaglandin increase is an immune system response that is counterproductive in chronic inflammation. Reducing prostaglandins and the destruction they cause is one way to reduce inflammation.
Red Light Therapy Cartilage Rebuilding Effects
The 2017 study above mentioned the theory of RLT’s effects on chondrocyte proliferation and matrix synthesis. Chondrocytes are specialized cells that produce and maintain cartilage. When chondrocyte cells divide and multiply, they allow cartilage to repair and grow. It is a normal part of the soft tissue injury self-repair process.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) of cartilage comprises collagen fibers, water, and other non-cellular components. The reduced inflammation breaks the pain-spasm-pain cycle that underlies the chronic pain of piriformis syndrome.
Matrix synthesis means that chondrocytes are secreting the components of cartilage’s extracellular matrix. The result is protection, cushioning, and stability for joints and muscles. RLT encourages the repair and growth of cartilage and the fibers that support it, and these activities might be part of how RLT reduces piriformis pain and restores range of motion.
Conclusion
Red light therapy is safe, noninvasive, and at least as powerful as ultrasound for relieving sciatica pain. The therapy produces ATP, the body’s biological battery. This gives the body energy to repair the muscular and neural issues sciatica presents. As a result, the cartilage grows stronger, and the nerve swelling reduces.
