Red Light Therapy Before Or After A Workout
If you have been looking into ways to relieve muscle soreness that accumulates from day-to- day life or your workout regimen you might have stumbled upon red light therapy. Whether you are choosing to improve your skin or do a full-body treatment, red light therapy can have abundant advantages. We have gathered some information to make you feel more confident about bringing red light therapy into your routine, and answer whether you should be scheduling it pre or post-workout. But before we get into that...
If you’re interested in using red light therapy Adelaide, we have multiple panels available to book.
What exactly is red light therapy?
Red light therapy uses a specific natural wavelength of light for therapeutic benefits, both medical and cosmetic. It is a combination of LEDs that emit infrared light and heat. Red light therapy uses low wavelengths of red light as a treatment because, at this specific wavelength, it is considered bioactive in human cells and can directly and specifically affect and improve cellular function. Red light can penetrate from the top layer of skin into the deep levels of the dermis. This treatment is a fabulous alternative for those who prefer non-invasive therapy over medication as the latter can have serious side effects. As a red light therapy grows in popularity as a recovery modality, so to do doubts of its efficacy. Read for more information to see if red light therapy in a gimmick.
Know the difference
Did you know that not all red light therapy is the same? There is red light and infrared light. The difference lies in how the depth of their wavelengths penetrates the body.
Red light and its benefits
Red light resides at the end of the spectrum with the longest visible wavelengths. Red light works primarily on the skin’s surface; it targets acne, cold sores, and skin conditions while reducing scars and aging. Ultimately, more of a cosmetic treatment than what’s needed to boost your workouts. Read more about the best protocols for each type of desired red light therapy benefit. If you’re working out with a personal trainer, then you could ask them more about the benefits of doing red light therapy before or after a workout.
Infrared light and its benefits
Beyond the range of visible wavelengths lies infrared light, which makes it invisible to the human eye. For those of us looking for a full-body benefit infrared light is the ticket! Infrared light penetrates deeper into the body, which allows it to treat muscle and nerve pain. Here are the profits you can gain from infrared light therapy:
Increased Blood Flow
The light energy your cells absorb makes them more active, which increases blood flow to the area. Increased blood flow can support cellular regrowth and regeneration, a combo that works to reduce inflammation and repair wounds or injuries so you can stay on track with your fitness goals.
Cardiovascular Health
Infrared increases the production of nitric oxide, a vital signalling molecule that is important for the health of blood vessels. This molecule helps relax the arteries and prevents blood from clotting and clumping in the vessels. Nitric oxide is essential in improving blood circulation, which provides more oxygen and nutrients to injured tissues.
Pain and Inflammation
With more oxygen and nutrients, infrared light therapy promotes healing in the body. It eases pain, inflammation and protects against oxidative stress. This means less pain during and after your workouts!
Muscular Injuries
Infrared light can trigger the growth and repair of new muscle cells and tissues. Are you looking to speed up healing after an injury? This could be the answer you have been looking for!
Detoxification
If you apply infrared therapy through saunas, it may strengthen your immune system by increasing your core temperature to detoxify on a cellular level. This detoxification could also improve food digestion.
Red light therapy and workouts
Okay, so you are sold on doing red light therapy to improve your pain and athletic performance. Great! The next question is: to achieve the best results do you do red light therapy before or after your workouts? If you’re looking for red light therapy adelaide we are have Adelaide’s premier red light therapy panels.
Before workout
Red light therapy as muscle preconditioning gives your muscles more strength. It helps minimise muscle strain and damage that occurs during exercise. You might also experience less soreness, inflammation, and faster healing times. Other research has shown that treatment before a workout significantly improves endurance and accelerates post-exercise recovery. Which can mean more reps or longer sessions! Another showed that it reduces fatigue compared to those doing red light therapy during or post-workout. If you’re looking to book red light therapy before your workout, you can book online.
After workout
Red light therapy has shown much improvement in speeding up the recovery process after a particularly trying workout. Overuse of muscles can quickly lead to inflammation, so partaking in red light therapy post-workout can attack that inflammation before it surfaces. Treatment could additionally mean reduced muscle atrophy and increased muscle mass, recovery, and performance. Exercise-induced muscle damage is a normal part of any workout; exercise causes microscopic tears in the muscle fibres and the repair process leads to muscle growth. The faster your muscles recover after a workout, the sooner you can resume the desired exercise intensity with less risk of injury. Some research has even shown that muscle soreness, weakness, and range of motion impairment were significantly improved up to 96 hours after exercise. This means that the throbbing post-workout pain you get days later can be reduced!
Both before and after workout
Depending on what you are looking to target with red light therapy, you might find it beneficial to do the treatment before and after your workout. For example, one study showed that 10-15 minutes twice a day effectively manages joint pain with underlying medical conditions. If you are aiming for muscle pain management, specifically of your leg and core muscle groups, before and after your workout could also be the right choice for you. Some recommend red light therapy 3-5 minutes before your workout for injury prevention, and again for 10-20 minutes after your workout for recovery. For other pain management, it might be best to use red light therapy for about 6-15 minutes, 3-5 times per week, for several months. If you’re looking to do red light therapy twice a day, we recommend booking in a time online!
You Do You!
As with partaking in any physical activity or body wellness treatment, the most valuable advice you can take is to listen to your body. What works for your friends might not work for you. The benefits of red light therapy have been numerous in vastly different ways for different people. Perhaps the best way to find the results you are looking for is by talking to a medical professional to discover your model path to wellness. From the untrained to the elite athlete, red light therapy can benefit anyone and get you feeling in top form each day. If you live in Adelaide, and this blog peaked your interest in our recovery suite, please get in touch!
Reference List & Sources
How Infrared Light Therapy Helps Provide Pain Relief from LED Technologies
Red Light Therapy from Cleveland Clinic
Should You Do Red Light Therapy Before or After Workout? from nuYOULED
