“Red light therapy speeds muscle recovery.”
Red and near-infrared light shone on muscles before or after hard exercise modestly reduced soreness and helped strength come back faster in small trials.
Red light therapy gives a small, real boost to muscle recovery in studies that used clinic devices on specific muscles. It is an optional extra, not a must, and home devices have not been shown to match those results.
If you want to try it, aim the light at the specific muscles you train, before or after the workout, as the studies did.
Safety note: Strong light, especially from lasers and other bright light devices, can injure the eyes. Eye damage has been reported with clinic light devices used without eye protection, so never look into the light and wear the eye protection that comes with the device.
Talk to a healthcare professional if: you have an eye condition, or you notice eye pain, blurred vision or other vision changes after using a light device.
Several reviews of placebo-controlled trials point the same way, with less soreness and faster return of strength. Confidence is limited because the trials are small, use many different devices and doses, and are rated low certainty, and one of the main reviews was co-written by a researcher who receives support from a laser device maker.
Red and near-infrared light shone on muscles before or after hard exercise modestly reduced soreness and helped strength come back faster in small trials. A 2025 review of trials in healthy adults found low-certainty evidence that light applied before exercise reduces muscle soreness, and it reported better muscle performance 24 hours later. A second 2025 review of 14 studies of light used after hard exercise found a moderate drop in soreness at 3 and 4 days and better strength at 1 and 2 days compared with placebo light, but only 4 small studies could be pooled.
These trials used lasers or LED probes held on a few spots of a specific muscle, with set wavelengths (about 630 to 950 nanometers) and doses. Home panels, masks and full-body beds deliver light differently and have not been tested the same way. One of the main reviews and some of the trials come from a lab in Brazil whose lead researcher receives research support from Multi Radiance Medical, a laser device company; reviews by other groups with no declared conflicts still lean positive, but rate the evidence low or note how little data could be pooled.
- Canez MS, da Silva LI, Ferreira GD, de Araújo FX, Luza LP. Effects of photobiomodulation, intermittent pneumatic compression and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle recovery: systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2025;44:570-584. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.06.021. PMID: 40954632
- Tsou YA, Chang NJ, Chang WD. Effects of photomodulation therapy for delayed onset muscle soreness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2025;10(3):277. DOI: 10.3390/jfmk10030277. PMID: 40700213. PMCID: PMC12286287
- Vanin AA, Verhagen E, Barboza SD, Costa LOP, Leal-Junior ECP. Photobiomodulation therapy for the improvement of muscular performance and reduction of muscular fatigue associated with exercise in healthy people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lasers in Medical Science. 2018;33(1):181-214. DOI: 10.1007/s10103-017-2368-6. PMID: 29090398
- Martins PHGN, Tomazoni SS, Machado CDSM, et al., Leal-Junior ECP. A randomised crossover trial comparing photobiomodulation therapy with other recovery strategies in CrossFit athletes. PLOS One. 2026;21(5):e0349880. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0349880. PMID: 42172262. PMCID: PMC13196929
- Al Muqarrab FJ, Alsuwaidan S, Al Muqarrab Z, Alajlan A. Is it possible for light-based hair removal home devices to induce ocular damage? Systematic review. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. 2023;16:3731-3742. DOI: 10.2147/CCID.S442963. PMID: 38152153. PMCID: PMC10752016