SEE THE LIGHT

Red light therapy promises accelerated recovery and has become a key tool for | professional athletes looking to get back into action as soon as possible. But is it too good to be true?

-  Charlie Metcalfe

Ben Earl, Saracens and England rugby star, was hobbling off the pitch on crutches before the match against Harlequins could even begin in November 2023. A medical scan revealed that Earl had damaged the cartilage in his right knee during the warm-up. Within a few days, he was lying on the operating table.

Earl had suffered a damaged meniscus, which can require up to six months to recover from. Fortunately, an operation can reduce the recovery time required. And courtesy of a luxury performance centre in London, Earl was hiding an innovative trump card up his sleeve: a mysterious high-tech form of recovery that has grown in popularity among athletes over the past decade: red light therapy.

The science

Red light therapy, also known as 'photobiomodulation', refers to the practice of shining red to near-infrared light on a specific body part to stimulate recovery. Scientists aren't absolutely certain about how it works. But the widely accepted theory is that, when the photons of light enter cells in the targeted area, they stimulate the mitochondrion otherwise known as the ‘power plants’ of the cells. These mitochondrion then crank up their production of ATP, which provides energy for cellular processes. If the cells operate faster, then the tissue repairs itself quicker too.