Infrared Light Therapy for Fractures

There are three core stages to healing a fracture:

• The inflammatory stage: the area around a broken bone becomes red, swollen and painful.
• The reparative stage: new bone tissue begins to form.
• The remodeling stage: the bone reshapes to its pre-injury form.

Infrared light therapy can help to support these stages through increasing local blood circulation and easing pain.

The wavelength of infrared light starts at around 780 nm. This enables it to penetrate approximately 30-40mm into the skin, reaching muscle, connective tissue and joints, making it ideal for supporting the body’s healing processes.

Improving blood flow

Fractures need oxygen, nutrients and immune cells to heal. Adequate blood flow is vital to facilitating the delivery of these products to where they are needed.

Studies have found that light at different wavelengths and intensities is able to improve endothelial function. The endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels, which regulates blood flow, meaning the greater it functions, the better the body circulates blood.

By using infrared light therapy directly on the site of a fracture, patients can increase local blood circulation, helping the area get the oxygen and nutrients it needs to kickstart the healing process.

HealthLight offers a variety of red light therapy devices, ensuring you find a product that fits perfectly to the area of the body where it’s needed.

Pain relief

Discomfort during the healing process of a fracture is very common, particularly during the inflammatory stage. Red light therapy stimulates cellular activity, causing cells to produce more energy (ATP). In turn, this triggers anti-inflammatory responses, while promoting muscle relaxation.

Even the soothing warmth created by an infrared device can help to ease discomfort, making it pleasant to use as you recover.

By relieving pain in localized areas, infrared light therapy can reduce the need for over-the-counter medication. It’s non-invasive and convenient to use at home, making it the ideal addition to a pain management program recommended by a medical specialist.

Current scientific consensus is that red light therapy can help to relieve certain types of pain, especially those related to inflammation, but results vary from person to person. If you are experiencing persistent pain associated with a fracture, consult a healthcare professional for further advice.

References

Colombo, E., Signore, A., Aicardi, S., Zekiy, A., Utyuzh, A., Benedicenti, S. and Amaroli, A. (2021). Experimental and Clinical Applications of Red and Near-Infrared Photobiomodulation on Endothelial Dysfunction: A Review. Biomedicines, 9(3), p.274. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9030274.