Red Light Benefits on Muscle Recovery and Swelling
Synopsis: Red light therapy is a powerful wellness service used to accelerate muscle recovery and reduce the body’s natural inflammatory response, making it a popular therapeutic option for athletes and more.
Social Media Post: Sore or fatigued muscles post-workout? Recovering from an injury or recent surgery? Red light therapy is effective in reducing inflammation and helping muscle tissue recover quickly. Read on to see how red light therapy aids with muscle recovery and inflammation and how it can be of use to you.
Each of us has experienced muscle pain and inflammation at some point in time. Whether it be from a chronic condition we have or the overuse of our muscles from working out, none of us are immune from this unfortunate occurrence.
The good news is muscle recovery can be a swift and easy process with the implementation of wellness services like red light therapy. But how does red light therapy help the muscles recover?
Improves Blood Circulation
By promoting the dilation of blood vessels, red light therapy improves the circulation of blood to the muscles. With improved blood flow, this means more nutrients, such as oxygen, get delivered to where they’re needed the most. These nutrients are then used by the body to encourage faster muscle recovery and ease inflammation sooner.
Reduces Nerve Sensitivity
Muscle aches and tears can be excruciatingly painful. What is more, when there’s inflammation involved, the swelling can further irritate nerves in the area, creating even more pain as a result.
Red light therapy can help reduce the sensitivity of nerves – and thus lessen pain – through a plethora of ways. It encourages the release of anti-inflammatory particles and can give the perception of less pain by changing how pain signals are communicated from the nerves to the brain. It also releases endorphins, which act as a natural painkiller.
Lessens Oxidative Stress
When there are too many free radicals in the body and not enough antioxidants available to keep them in check, this is what we call oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is harmful because it can damage essential cells, which can lead to chronic inflammation, muscle injury, heart disease, or cancer.
Red light therapy works against oxidative stress by increasing the production of enzymes used in the creation of antioxidants. It also combats the effects of oxidative stress directly, like inflammation and cellular damage.
Repair Damaged Tissues
Your muscles are an essential type of connective tissue responsible for providing structural support, shock absorption, and allowing for movement. When muscle tissue becomes damaged or experiences wear and tear as time goes on, the healing process can be lengthy, painful, and limiting.
Red light therapy is effective in stimulating the repair of damaged muscles by boosting the production of cellular energy, improving blood flow to the affected area, and increasing the production of collagen which helps restore damaged tissue.
Promotes Nerve Regeneration
Healthy nerves play an important role in muscle recovery. On the other hand, when nerves are overactive or damaged, it can lengthen recovery time.
To aid with healing, red light therapy helps encourage the regeneration of nerves. It emphasizes how nerves and muscles communicate with one another, boosts blood circulation in the area to enhance the repair of damaged nerves, and also helps calm the stimulation of affected nerves to halt damage.
It’s evident red light therapy is effective in improving muscle recovery and inflammation through a variety of methods. If you’re interested in seeing it work its magic for yourself, reach out to Recovery Lab today to set up an appointment.
