How Red Light Therapy Relieves Hand Pain

Jun 3, 2022 | Karen Wolters

Last Updated Nov 17, 2025

Summary

If your hands, fingers, or wrists hurt, red light therapy could help. This FDA-cleared treatment is designed to relieve pain, improve circulation, support arthritis, and promote overall wellness. Learn how at-home therapy pads can restore hand function and make daily activities easier.

Medically reviewed by Karen Wolters, RN

Hand pain can make daily tasks like typing, cooking, cleaning, or even holding a phone difficult. Whether caused by arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or repetitive strain, discomfort in your fingers, hands, or wrists can reduce your quality of life.

Understanding how red light therapy relieves hand pain shows why more people are turning to this safe, non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment. By relieving pain, improving circulation, supporting arthritis, and promoting overall wellness, red light therapy helps you maintain hand function and get back to your everyday activities.

Common Causes of Hand Pain

Hands and wrists are made up of multiple bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which makes them vulnerable to various conditions:

Arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
Carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis
Repetitive strain injuries or overuse
Minor sprains or strains

No matter the cause, red light therapy can provide relief while supporting healing and overall hand wellness.

What is Red Light Therapy?

Red light therapy, also known as low-level light therapy (LLLT), uses red and near-infrared light to penetrate the skin. The light interacts with cells to relieve pain, improve circulation, and support tissue health, all FDA-cleared benefits.

Health practitioners, including doctors and physical therapists, use red light therapy for:

Reducing pain in muscles, joints, and tendons
Improving blood flow to speed healing
Supporting arthritis-related discomfort
Promoting overall wellness through non-invasive therapy

Red light therapy is non-invasive, safe, and FDA-cleared for these therapeutic benefits.

How Red Light Therapy Relieves Hand Pain

Red Light Therapy for hands excels at providing fast-acting pain relief for musculoskeletal issues. “According to the more than 4000 studies on www.pubmed.gov, it can be concluded that the majority of laboratory and clinical studies have demonstrated that LLLT has a positive effect on acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain.” And specifically for finger, hand, and wrist conditions: “…tendinitis and chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,…carpal tunnel syndrome…are amenable to LLLT.”

Red light therapy works at the cellular level, energizing cells and improving circulation. This leads to:

Relief from pain in fingers, hands, and wrists
Improved circulation, which supports healing and reduces stiffness
Support for arthritis, helping maintain joint comfort and mobility
Enhanced wellness, promoting better hand function and overall hand health

Studies show red light therapy helps conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome by improving comfort, circulation, and hand function, making it a safe and effective at-home treatment.

Benefits of Red Light Therapy for Hands

FDA-cleared pain relief: Reduces discomfort in fingers, hands, and wrists
Improved circulation: Supports tissue health and healing
Supports arthritis: Red light therapy for arthritis helps ease stiffness and maintain joint function
Promotes overall wellness: Non-invasive and safe for regular use
Convenient for home use: Easy to include in daily routines
Versatile: Pads can treat hands, fingers, wrists, and other areas simultaneously

Pad Size & Shape	Treating Hand/Wrist Problems Plus Additional Areas
Large Rectangular Pad	This pad used horizontally can treat the front or back of both hands, all fingers, and the wrist simultaneously. It can also be folded into a mitt to treat the whole hand. Additional Areas: Upper and Lower Back; the Spine; Hip; Pelvis; Groin; Buttocks; Stomach; Shoulder; Upper and Lower Arm; Knee; Thigh; Ankle; and Chest. Or both Feet or Calves simultaneously.
Long & Narrow Pad	This pad can be wrapped around the wrist to treat Carpal Tunnel pain, or wrapped over all fingers and palm of one hand. Or placed horizontally, the front or back of both hands/fingers can be treated. Additional Areas: Back; Limbs; Feet; Joints; Shoulder. Wrap around Arm; Elbow; Leg; Knee; Thigh; Heel; or Ankle with Velcro to treat all sides at once. Horizontally can treat Upper or Lower Back; Stomach; front or back of both Shoulders; or both Soles or all Toes at once. Or under the Sole, up the Heel, and to the Calf. Or over top of Foot and then bended under the Sole. Also from Knee up to Thigh, or from Knee down the Leg.
Medium Rectangular Pad	This pad can treat the front or back of the hand/ fingers. It can also be folded and wrapped around the wrist or hand/fingers. Offers the strongest light penetration of all HealthLight pads, making it a good choice for Arthritis or Carpal Tunnel pain. Additional Areas: Shoulder; Elbow; Upper/Lower Back; Upper/Lower Arm; Thigh; Hip; Pelvis; Groin; Chest; Stomach; Buttock; and Thigh.
Small Rectangular Pad	This pad can treat a localized area such as the front or back of the wrist, palm, or fingers when placed flat. This pad can also be folded to wrap around the wrist, fingers, or hand. Its small size makes placement easy. Additional Areas: Front or back of Neck; Upper or Lower Back; TMJ Area; Arm; Elbow; Shoulder; Toes; Heel; or Ankle.

Choosing the Right Therapy Pads

HealthLight offers FDA-cleared, professional-grade LED therapy pads designed specifically for hands:

Large Rectangular Pad: Covers both hands, fingers, and wrists at once; can also be folded into a mitt
Long & Narrow Pad: Wraps around the wrist and fingers for targeted therapy
Medium Rectangular Pad: Strong penetration for arthritis or tendon issues
Small Rectangular Pad: Focused treatment for specific hand areas

Pads are flexible and versatile, allowing for safe, effective hand therapy at home while also being suitable for other areas of the body.

Conclusion

Learning how red light therapy relieves hand pain shows why it is a safe, FDA-cleared solution for hand discomfort. By relieving pain, improving circulation, supporting arthritis, and promoting wellness, red light therapy can help restore hand function and make everyday tasks easier.

For anyone experiencing hand pain, HealthLight therapy pads provide professional-grade treatment in the comfort of home, offering consistent and reliable results.

About the Author

Karen Wolters, RN is the founder of HealthLight. She has extensive experience in hospital, public health, and industrial nursing, and has worked closely with clinicians and engineers for over a decade to advance the science and design of red light therapy devices. Read more about Karen here.