Red Light Therapy after Childbirth: General Pain Relief and Relaxation After Childbirth

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Postpartum starts immediately after childbirth and generally lasts six to eight weeks. Your body goes through many physical and emotional changes during this time, with some symptoms lasting months after you give birth.”¹ Postpartum ends when, “…the mother’s body has nearly returned to its pre-pregnant state. The postpartum period is important for both short-term and long-term health and well being for a woman and her newborn.”²

Red Light Therapy for Comfort and Well-Being During the Postpartum Period

Women who have just gone through the pains of pregnancy and childbirth or will soon do so may be happy to learn that Red Light Therapy can help reduce pain, which may make you wonder how child-bearing women in previous centuries ever fully recovered without it! There is scientific research to suggest that using red light therapy postpartum is a non-invasive and drug-free way to bring your body gentle, soothing, relaxing, effective, and dependable pain relief. Red Light Therapy causes a cascade of beneficial changes in the cells of your body that increase circulation and decrease pain.

How Red Light Therapy May Help With Common Post-Birth Discomforts

Here is a list of many of the physical, emotional, and psychological issues most commonly experienced by women during postpartum, with peer-reviewed scientific studies proving that Red Light Therapy can indeed alleviate them safely and effectively:

[Please note that many of these studies refer to Red Light Therapy as “Photobiomodulation” or “PBM,” a more generalized term for light therapy.]

Physical Issues:

• General Musculoskeletal Pain (e.g., back discomfort): Red Light Therapy excels at alleviating all types of musculoskeletal pain. A 2021 narrative review exploring the utility of PBM as a tool in pain management stated that. “Current evidence shows the efficacy of light treatment for pain in a variety of pain syndromes…and chronic low back pain.”³ Another 2021 study on light therapy for pain control stated that: “In conclusion, low-intensity LASER and LED (PBMT) offers a non-invasive, safe, drug-free, and side-effect–free method for pain relief of both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions.”₄
• Pelvic Area Discomfort: A 2021 pilot study exploring if PBM could reduce pelvic discomfort in women concluded that: “…PBM provided significant and sustained pain relief to women with CPP up to 6 months.”₅
• Nipple Soreness: A 2024 study of breastfeeding women with nipple pain and fissure compared PBM versus anti-inflammatory topical cream on inflamed nipples and the subsequent effect on milk production. The study concluded that: “…PBM was more effective in decreasing nipple pain than topical anti-inflammatory creams.”₆
• Pain in the Uterus: After pregnancy and delivery, “Your uterus needs to shrink back to its actual size. This causes cramps and vaginal bleeding.”₇ Red Light Therapy devices are considered to be Class II Medical Devices, and have been granted FDA clearance for increasing circulation, relieving pain, relaxing muscles, and relieving muscle spasms. Because Red Light Therapy can relax muscles and relieve muscle spasms, it can also effectively relieve pain from cramping.
• Post-Surgical Pain (e.g., following a C-section): A 2021 study seeking to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Red Light Therapy (termed here as “LED-RL”) in reducing post-operative pain concluded that: “LED-RL phototherapy is safe in the early postoperative period.”₈
• Perineal Discomfort: A 2024 randomized clinical trial comparing cryotherapy and Photobiomodulation in the reduction of perineal pain during immediate postpartum suggested that: “Patients who received Photobiomodulation showed superior improvement compared to cryotherapy. In the immediate postpartum period, there was a greater reduction in pain in favor of Photobiomodulation (p = 0.008); and after 24 h, the difference was even more significant (p < 0.001).”₉

Summary

Judging from the positive findings of these studies, it is easy to see how using Red Light Therapy postpartum can greatly enhance your quality of life. The key to experiencing the fastest and best outcome for your full recovery is to be consistent with your Red Light Therapy sessions. Your newborn baby needs you to heal, and to feel as good as possible physically, mentally, and emotionally in order to take good care of them. Red Light Therapy is a simple, easy, and effective way for you to take good care of you, so that you can then take good care of your baby! Using Red Light Therapy postpartum is generally safe when used as directed.

Choose HealthLight

After the postpartum period is over and you are fully recovered, Red Light Therapy can help you maintain your health and wellness. A good quality Red Light Therapy device should last for many years, improving circulation and reducing pain through all future pregnancies and child births. Plus, your Red Light Therapy device is also a great wellness tool for your whole family! But the efficacy and safety of your Red Light Therapy treatment sessions are completely dependent upon the quality of your Red Light Therapy device. Purchasing a FDA-cleared Red Light Therapy device from HealthLight is a good investment in your health that will safely and effectively bring you all of the many substantial benefits that Red Light Therapy has to offer. HealthLight makes powerful clinical-strength Red Light Therapy devices, ensuring that you receive therapy that is effective and helps relieve pain. When it comes to choosing a red light therapy pad, speak with our experts at HealthLight.

References

1 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/postpartum.

2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565875/

3 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, p.13.

4 DE Oliveira MF, Johnson DS, Demchak T, Tomazoni SS, Leal-Junior EC. Low-intensity LASER and LED (photobiomodulation therapy) for pain control of the most common musculoskeletal conditions. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2022 Apr;58(2):282-289. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.21.07236-1. Epub 2021 Dec 16. PMID: 34913330; PMCID: PMC9980499, p. 287.

5 Zipper R, Pryor B, Lamvu G. Transvaginal Photobiomodulation for the Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Pilot Study. Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2021 Nov 23;2(1):518-527. doi: 10.1089/whr.2021.0097. PMID: 34841398; PMCID: PMC8617585, Abstract.

6 Elseody MHAA, Mohamed MAE, Alsharnoubi J. Could Photobiomodulation help lactating women and their newborns? Lasers Med Sci. 2024 Jul 24;39(1):192. doi: 10.1007/s10103-024-04132-w. PMID: 39046567; PMCID: PMC11269476, Abstract.

7 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/postpartum.

8 Dehghanpour HR, Parvin P, Ganjali P, Golchini A, Eshghifard H, Heidari O. Evaluation of photobiomodulation effect on cesarean-sectioned wound healing: a clinical study. Lasers Med Sci. 2023 Aug 1;38(1):171. doi: 10.1007/s10103-023-03774-6. PMID: 37526765.

9 Cristine Boniatti Constant É, Plentz Stein G, Camargo de Oliveira K, Laureano Paiva L, Martins Costa S, Geraldo Lopes Ramos J. Comparison of photobiomodulation with cryotherapy in the immediate postpartum period of parturients with grade I, grade II lacerations and/or episiotomy in reducing perineal and vulvar and edema: A randomized clinical trial. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2024 Oct;301:240-245. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.08.025. Epub 2024 Aug 14. PMID: 39167877, p.4.