Red Light Therapy for Athletes: What the Trials Show by Sport

Red light therapy for athletes has its best support as a short session on the working muscles shortly before training or competition. In placebo-controlled trials in rugby, futsal, cycling and strength training, red and near-infrared light applied before effort was followed by less fatigue or more work done. Below: results by sport, pre-match timing, anti-doping status, fresh injuries, sleep, travel and a home panel set-up for sports recovery.

Key takeaways

• In a 2016 trial of 12 high-level rugby players, light on the legs about 20 minutes before a repeated-sprint test lowered the fatigue index to 2.66%, against 4.51% with placebo. J Strength Cond Res, 2016
• In a trial of 20 competitive cyclists, laser light on the thighs added about 22 seconds to an all-out effort that lasted 149 seconds with placebo, and the lowest of three doses worked best. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2018
• In a 12-week trial of 48 men, light applied before each strength session gave larger gains in one-rep max than the other groups, including placebo. Lasers Med Sci, 2016
• A 2024 meta-analysis of 16 randomised trials with 340 people found that light improved fatigue recovery. Lasers Med Sci, 2024
• Light shone on the skin is not on the current list of prohibited methods; treating the blood itself, for example with laser or ultraviolet light, is banned. SUEK, prohibited list

Does red light therapy help athletes perform and recover?

Trials suggest it can, by a modest margin. Reviews of controlled trials find the clearest gains in fatigue and in how long people keep going before exhaustion.

A 2023 review of 15 randomised trials in healthy adults found that 10 of the 15 improved at least one performance measure. Applied Sciences, 2023 The best results came when light was applied before exercise, with the device on the skin.

A 2024 meta-analysis pooled 16 trials with 340 people. Fatigue recovery improved, with a mean difference of 5.87. The authors concluded that light "may aid in favoring fatigue recovery". Lasers Med Sci, 2024

Soreness after training and the before-or-after question have their own articles: what the research says about light and muscle recovery and red light therapy before or after a workout. This article goes sport by sport.

How long before a game or race should you use red light?

About 20 to 40 minutes before play, based on the field trials. Rugby players had light about 20 minutes before a sprint test, and futsal players about 40 minutes before each match.

In the rugby trial, the light came first, then the warm-up. In two cycling trials, light applied hours before exercise showed no effect. Applied Sciences, 2023

So for a match or race, keep the session close to the start. For soreness after training, timing is less settled, and either side of the workout fits the research.

Trial	Who	Light	Dose	When	Sessions
Rugby, 2016	12 high-level rugby players	905 nm laser with 875 and 640 nm LEDs, on the skin	30 J at each of 17 sites per leg	About 20 min before a sprint test	1 per condition
Futsal, 2019	6 professional futsal players	Same cluster	30 J at each of 17 sites per leg	About 40 min before each match	1 per match
Cycling, 2018	20 competitive cyclists	Laser on both thighs	135, 270 or 405 J per thigh	Before each test	1 per dose
Running, 2019	30 untrained men	660 and 850 nm LED cluster	60 J at 5 points per leg	Immediately before each run	3 a week for 8 weeks
Strength, 2016	48 men aged 18 to 35	905, 875 and 640 nm cluster	Not given in the abstract	Before, after or both	Every session for 12 weeks
Sleep, 2012	20 elite female basketball players	Whole-body red light, 658 nm	30 J/cm²	30 min each night	14 nights

Most doses here are joules per site from devices pressed onto the skin, so they do not translate into minutes on a panel.

What have trials found in rugby, futsal and other team sports?

Less fatigue across repeated sprints in rugby, and more time on court in futsal. In both trials, players had red and near-infrared light on the leg muscles before play.

The rugby trial was double-blind, with each player tested with light and placebo. Light went on the front and back of the thighs and the calves. J Strength Cond Res, 2016

• Mean sprint time: 6.55 seconds with light, against 6.67 seconds with placebo.
• Best sprint: the same in both, at 6.38 seconds.
• Fatigue index: 2.66% with light, against 4.51% with placebo.

The light did not raise top speed. It helped players hold their speed across the sprints.

The futsal trial ran during real matches with 6 professional players. Light about 40 minutes before each match increased time on court and improved blood markers of muscle damage and lactate, while distance covered was similar. Lasers Med Sci, 2019

These results came from light before play with combined red and near-infrared. When 10 futsal players had 630 nm red LED light alone after a simulated match, one muscle-damage marker changed, while jump height and soreness over 24 hours did not. Apunts, 2021

Does red light therapy help cyclists last longer?

In one trial, it did. Twenty competitive cyclists lasted about 22 seconds longer in an all-out test after laser light on the thighs at the lowest dose tested.

Each cyclist tried every dose and a placebo, double-blind. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2018

• Placebo: 149 seconds to exhaustion at maximal power.
• 135 J per thigh: about 22 seconds longer.
• 270 or 405 J per thigh: about 13 seconds longer.

The smallest dose did best, which points to moderate sessions rather than the longest timer setting. Light given hours before a ride showed no effect in two other cycling trials, so the session belongs shortly before the effort, on the quads.

Can red light therapy make runners faster?

For race times, the evidence is still mixed. Runners have firmer support from the knee and tendon research, where light is used alongside rehab exercise.

In an 8-week trial, 30 untrained men ran three times a week, with 660 and 850 nm LED light on the legs immediately before each run. Front Physiol, 2019

• With light: 5 km time fell from 27.6 to 23.9 minutes.
• With placebo: 5 km time fell from 27.0 to 24.1 minutes.
• The gap: not statistically significant, though one analysis rated the extra gain "possibly positive".

A 2024 meta-analysis of 12 trials found no clear overall gain in running time trials or time to exhaustion. Int J Exerc Sci, 2024 A trial on runner's knee is covered in our guide to red light therapy for knee pain, and Achilles and heel trials are in red light therapy for tendonitis.

Will red light therapy help you get stronger in the gym?

One 12-week trial found larger strength gains when light went on before each session. Across trials, pooled results show better fatigue recovery, while strength gains are not yet conclusive.

In the 12-week trial, 48 men aged 18 to 35 had light before training, after, both times, or placebo. Lasers Med Sci, 2016 The group with light before training and placebo after had significantly greater gains than the other groups in maximum voluntary contraction and in one-rep max on the leg extension and leg press. For lifters, the practical pattern is a session on the muscles you are about to train, before the workout.

Is red light therapy allowed under anti-doping rules?

Light shone on the skin does not appear on the World Anti-Doping Agency's current list of prohibited methods. Methods that treat the blood itself are prohibited, including laser or ultraviolet irradiation of blood.

The prohibited methods include "intravascular manipulation of the blood or blood components by physical or chemical means". SUEK, prohibited list The Russian anti-doping agency gives "intravenous laser irradiation of blood" as an example. RUSADA, 2023

Intravenous infusions or injections of more than 100 mL per 12 hours are also prohibited, outside hospital treatment, surgery or clinical investigations. A panel on the skin involves none of these.

WADA does not approve methods. It lists prohibited ones, and a revised list takes effect each January. USADA If you are tested, check the current list on WADA's website and confirm with your federation or national anti-doping organisation before you start.

Can you use red light on a fresh sprain or pulled muscle?

Not in the first 2 to 3 days. The NHS advises rest, ice, compression and elevation at first, and says to avoid heat, which can increase swelling.

The NHS advises ice for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours, and no hot baths, heat packs, alcohol or massage at first. NHS The panel feels warm, with a surface of up to 40°C, so let those first days pass before a session.

• Go to A&E or call 999: if you heard a crack, the limb looks misshapen, it is numb or tingling, or the skin is blue, grey or cold.
• Call NHS 111: if you cannot put weight on it, or you have a high temperature.

After that window, light can sit alongside a rehab plan. A university sports medicine team used 830 nm LED light on 395 injuries, with an average of 4.3 sessions per injury. Laser Therapy, 2016 Among the 65 athletes with complete data, mean return to play was 9.6 days, against 19.23 days expected. The comparison was with an expected time rather than a control group, so it is a lead for further trials. For tendons, see our tendonitis guide.

Can red light therapy help athletes sleep on the road or beat jet lag?

It may help sleep a little, but it is not a jet lag tool. Resetting the body clock is a job for daylight, which is what the NHS advises after a flight.

In a trial of 20 elite female basketball players, 30 minutes of 658 nm whole-body red light each night for 14 days improved sleep quality scores more than placebo. J Athl Train, 2012 Morning blood melatonin was 38.8 pg/mL in the light group, against 23.8 pg/mL with placebo. As our article on red light therapy for sleep explains, use red and near-infrared only in the evening, keep the blue channel off, and finish a couple of hours before bed.

For jet lag, the NHS advises going outside during the day, shifting your bedtime before travel, drinking water and limiting caffeine and alcohol. NHS

What travels well is the recovery routine. At 6.3 kg, the panel can hang from its door hook on a hotel or dorm door, where allowed, for sessions at a tournament.

How do you set up a Kivorla panel for your sport?

Light the muscles your sport loads most, on bare skin, for 10 to 15 minutes per area, then warm up. That puts the session roughly in the 20 to 40 minute window the field trials used.

The 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel carries 480, 590, 630, 660, 670, 810, 830, 850 and 1060 nm, each dimmable from 1 to 100%. At 6 inches it puts out at least 1,567 W/m², with near-infrared at least 1,200 W/m². Its 660, 670, 810, 830 and 850 nm channels sit inside the 655 to 950 nm band of a 2018 meta-analysis of performance trials. Lasers Med Sci, 2018 The 660 and 850 nm pair matches the LED cluster in the running trial.

Most athlete trials pressed a small cluster onto the skin, site by site. A panel lights a broad area from a distance, so the closest evidence comes from the LED trials and the basketball players' whole-body red light.

• Running: calves and thighs.
• Cycling: the front of the thighs.
• Rugby, football and court sports: front and back of the thighs, then the calves, the areas the rugby trial lit.
• Strength training: the muscles you are training that day.
• Distance: 12 inches for a broad area such as the thighs, 6 inches for a knee, ankle or Achilles.

On a half-body panel, the front and back of the legs are two sessions, so before a match choose the area your sport loads most. The cycling trial's lowest dose worked best, so more light is not the aim. To stay near the studied range, use the controls:

• Dimmer channels: turn red and near-infrared down from 100%, and keep 480 and 590 nm off for muscle sessions.
• Shorter timer: it starts at 1 minute, and the panel stops at 5 minutes if no time is set.
• More distance: step back from 6 to 12 inches.

Hang the panel on a door or wall with the included door hook, pulley, hanging cables and screws, or stand it upright on the floor. For the shoulders or upper back, hang it at the right height. Use bare skin, as clothing blocks the light. Wear the included goggles, set each channel with the controller, and leave at least 6 hours between 30-minute sessions. The 4-Wavelength Red Light Therapy Mask covers the face only and is not designed for muscles.

Who should not use red light therapy as an athlete?

Do not use either device if you are pregnant, have epilepsy, have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medication, take photosensitising medication, or have broken skin on the area. Our precautions also advise against using the panel on Fitzpatrick skin types V and VI.

Cleveland Clinic advises shielding the eyes when using home devices, so wear the goggles every session. Cleveland Clinic Warm is fine, hot is not: if the skin feels hot, dim the near-infrared channels or step back. The rugby and strength trials and the university sports medicine team reported no side effects.

Standard shipping to the US, UK and Germany is free. Read the precautions before ordering. Under our return and refund policy, returns are accepted within 30 days: an unopened device with its seals intact is refunded less a 10% restocking fee, and an opened device that is undamaged and complete is refunded less 20%.

Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices, and are not intended to treat sports injuries. See a doctor or physiotherapist about a new or severe injury, and check anti-doping rules with your federation if you are tested.