Red Light Therapy for Broken Bones: Casts, Healing Times and What Trials Show

Red light therapy for broken bones has its best human support after the cast comes off: in a 2022 placebo-controlled trial of 50 people with wrist fractures, light plus home exercises gave better pain and disability scores at 8, 12 and 26 weeks. In animal studies, red laser light made healing bone stronger. Below: casts, stress fractures, metal implants, healing times, trial settings, warning signs and panel set-up once your doctor or physio agrees.

Key takeaways

• In a 2022 triple-blind trial of 50 people with wrist fractures, light given after the cast came off, plus home exercises, gave better pain and disability scores than placebo light at 8, 12 and 26 weeks. Saebo, 2022
• A 2020 review of placebo-controlled trials in limb fractures concluded that light therapy "seems to be associated with the improvement of pain and function". Neto, 2020
• In a sham-controlled trial of 50 people with wrist or hand fractures treated without surgery, 830 nm laser light five times a week for 2 weeks improved pain, function and grip strength more than sham. Chang, 2014
• A 2010 review of animal studies found that 632.8 nm red laser light made healing bone stronger at 4 weeks. Bashardoust Tajali, 2010
• The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons advises: "Never remove the cast yourself." AAOS OrthoInfo

Does red light therapy for broken bones help?

The human trials point to better comfort and movement, mainly after wrist and hand fractures. Animal studies add that healing bone came out stronger with red laser light.

Study	Who	Light	What was found
Chang, 2014	50 people, wrist or hand fractures	830 nm laser, 2 weeks	Pain, function and grip better than sham
Saebo, 2021	53 people, wrist fracture in a cast	Clinic laser, given by clinicians	Better grip at week 4 and better range of motion
Saebo, 2022	50 people, after the cast came off	Clinic laser plus home exercises	Pain and disability better than placebo up to 26 weeks
Bashardoust Tajali, 2010	Animal studies, 234 samples	632.8 nm red laser	Stronger healing bone at 4 weeks
Briteno-Vazquez, 2015	20 rats, shin bone fractures	850 nm laser, 10 days	More repair cells and new blood vessels

The 2020 review found two placebo-controlled trials that met its standards. Neto, 2020 Pain eased a little more with light. In one trial of 50 people, function improved by a margin the authors called clinically meaningful.

Certainty was rated low to very low, and X-ray measures of healing were similar in both groups. So the light supports comfort, grip and movement while the bone does its own repair work, alongside the cast, physio and follow-up your doctor arranges.

Can you use red light therapy over a cast, or take the cast off to use it?

No. A cast, splint or walking boot keeps light from reaching the skin, and the safe answer is to wait until your doctor takes it off and agrees to light.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons sets clear cast rules. AAOS OrthoInfo

• Removal: "Never remove the cast yourself." The same goes for a splint or boot.
• Edges and padding: do not trim the edges, pull out padding or push anything inside.
• Swelling: for the first 24 to 72 hours, prop the limb above your heart and move your fingers or toes often.

In the 2021 trial, clinicians gave light to wrists during casting and handled the cast themselves. Saebo, 2021 A later paper noted that taking a cast off for treatment may disturb the position of the healing bone. Factor, 2023 That was a clinic procedure, never a home method.

Does red light help wrist pain and stiffness after the cast comes off?

This is where the best human evidence sits. In the 2022 trial, light given after the cast came off, alongside home exercises, eased pain and disability more than placebo light for up to 26 weeks.

The trial included 50 people whose wrist fractures were treated without surgery. Saebo, 2022 Light started after cast removal and ended at week 7 after the injury. Both groups did the same home exercises.

• Pain and disability: better than placebo at 8, 12 and 26 weeks.
• Night pain and painkillers: both lower from week 7 to week 26.
• A change people notice: the pain gain reached the level patients feel as a real improvement.

The authors concluded that the light "is safe and has a long-term positive effect on pain and disability" with home rehab.

Stiffness and weakness after a broken wrist can last several months, and the NHS says physiotherapy may help. NHS Home LED use is now being tested: a trial after wrist fracture surgery uses 12 minutes a day, 6 on the back of the wrist and 6 on the palm, with home exercises. Takahashi, protocol

The wrist trials used clinic lasers on small points, while a panel lights a wider area. Our guide to cold laser therapy vs red light therapy explains the difference.

What do animal studies show about red light therapy for bone healing?

Animal research points one way: healing bone treated with red laser light withstood more force before breaking at 4 weeks. In rats, 850 nm laser light brought more repair cells and new blood vessels to the break.

The 2010 review pooled three animal studies, all using 632.8 nm red laser light. Bashardoust Tajali, 2010 The authors noted that 14 to 21 sessions seemed to be needed and called for human trials. In the rat study, the light was given over 10 days. Briteno-Vazquez, 2015

In people, the trials treated the wrist, hand and shin, where bone lies close under the skin. Our knee pain guide explains how near-infrared light fades as it passes through tissue.

Can red light therapy help a stress fracture in the shin or foot?

It is being studied: the US Army is testing an 830 nm LED device alongside physiotherapy for shin and foot stress fractures in trainees, with results not yet published. Standard care comes first, which means taking the load off the bone until it heals.

Mayo Clinic describes stress fractures as "tiny cracks in a bone", most often in the lower leg and foot. Mayo Clinic

• Unloading: a walking boot, brace or crutches. "This may take weeks or months." Mayo Clinic
• Ice: 15 minutes every three hours.
• Return: gradual, often starting with swimming, stopping anything that hurts at the fracture site.

The Army protocol uses 830 nm LED panels for 10 to 16 minutes, 1 to 8 cm from the skin, up to three times a week for up to 6 weeks. Parsons, 2023 protocol

Keep the boot or brace on as prescribed. Light fits after that phase, when your doctor or physio agrees; our guide to red light therapy for athletes covers how it sits alongside rehab. Follow your doctor's advice on pain relief.

How long do broken bones take to heal, and where does light fit?

The NHS gives about 6 to 12 weeks for a broken arm, wrist or leg and 6 to 8 weeks for a broken ankle. Light fits after that immobilisation phase, alongside the physio that rebuilds movement.

Phase	Rough timing	What happens	Where light fits
Inflammation	First days	A blood clot forms the "first bridge"	No light: X-ray, cast or splint
Soft callus	Within about a week	Soft repair tissue joins the ends	No light: cast, splint or boot on
Hard callus	About 2 to 6 weeks	A hard bony bridge forms	No light: still immobilised
Cast off, physio	Wrist or leg 6 to 12 weeks, ankle 6 to 8	Stiffness and weakness, can last months	Light on intact skin, if your doctor or physio agrees
Remodelling	Over the following months	The bone is reshaped	Alongside your exercises

The stages come from KidsHealth, and the times from the NHS pages on a broken leg and a broken ankle. KidsHealth lists what helps: calcium and vitamin D, good cast care and follow-up visits. Smoking, alcohol, diabetes and steroid medicines can slow healing. This guide is written for adults; for a child's fracture, follow the child's doctor.

Can you use red light over metal plates, screws or rods?

Ask your surgeon first, and use light only over skin that has fully closed. The rules in our guide to red light therapy after surgery apply.

In a theatre trial, 54 adults having a nail placed in a broken shin bone had one laser session or a switched-off device at the end of surgery. Nesioonpour, 2014 Pain at 24 hours was 2.88 out of 10 with light and 4.15 without.

That was a medical setting. At home, never use light over an incision, stitches, pin sites, an external frame or any broken skin.

Is red light the same as an ultrasound bone stimulator?

No. Ultrasound bone stimulators use sound waves and red light therapy uses light, so the evidence for one does not carry over to the other.

A 2017 BMJ review of 26 ultrasound trials looked at days to weight bearing and return to work. Schandelmaier, 2017 The light trials measured pain, grip, range of motion and function. If your surgeon offers a bone stimulator, ask which kind it is.

What settings did fracture light trials use?

Human fracture trials mostly used near-infrared lasers at 808 to 830 nm, sometimes with red, on the skin over the break. Sessions ran from seconds per point to about 16 minutes, up to five times a week.

Study	Light	Dose	Time	Sessions	Weeks
Chang, 2014	830 nm laser	9.7 J/cm² per fracture site	10 minutes	5 a week	2
Nesioonpour, 2014	808 and 650 nm lasers	6 and 3 J/cm²	20 to 30 seconds per point	1, after surgery	Single session
Jana Neto, 2023 (hospital)	420, 660 and 850 nm LEDs	3 J per point	10 minutes	Before surgery	Until surgery
US Army protocol (results pending)	830 nm LED	30 to 50 J/cm²	10 to 16 minutes	Up to 3 a week	Up to 6

The LED row comes from a hospital trial on skin around shin and ankle fractures. Jana Neto, 2023 Every human trial applied light on the skin. Laser doses at points do not convert into panel minutes; the pattern that carries over is near-infrared with red, on bare skin over a bone close to the surface, several times a week, alongside exercises.

Which signs after a broken bone need a doctor before any light?

Any suspected break needs an X-ray and medical care first. In a cast, worsening pain, numbness, a cast that feels too tight, or blue or white fingers or toes need prompt advice.

• A&E or 999: a bone sticking out, a limb at an odd angle, heavy bleeding, or a numb or tingling arm. NHS
• NHS 111: a high temperature, a cast that is too tight, loose or broken, swelling, or a bad smell or discharge from under the cast.
• Call your doctor: "Excessive swelling below the cast", burning or stinging, or raw skin around it. Losing movement of your fingers or toes is urgent. AAOS OrthoInfo
• Stress fracture: see a doctor promptly for pain at rest or at night. Mayo Clinic
• Over 50: after a broken arm or wrist, the NHS suggests asking your GP about a fracture liaison service.

How do you use a Kivorla panel after a broken wrist or ankle?

Once the cast, splint or boot is off for good, the skin is intact and your doctor or physio agrees, place the bare skin about 6 inches from the panel with goggles on. Start dim for 5 to 10 minutes every other day, build to 10 to 15 minutes three to five times a week, and judge it at three to four weeks.

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%. Its 830 nm channel matches the wavelength in the 2014 wrist trial and the Army protocol. The mask is a face device, not designed for limbs.

• Position: hang it on a door or wall with the included door hook, pulley, hanging cables and screws, centre level with the limb, or stand it upright on the floor.
• Distance: about 6 inches for a wrist, hand, ankle, foot or shin.
• Skin: clean and bare, as clothing blocks light (see does red light therapy work through clothes).
• Channels: 810, 830, 850 and 1060 nm high; 630, 660 and 670 nm on; 480 and 590 nm at their lowest; continuous light.
• Eyes: goggles on, even at wrist or ankle height (see our goggles guide).
• Exercises: keep doing your physio's exercises, as both groups did in the 2022 trial.
• Log: pain and night pain out of 10, plus grip or range of motion if your physio measures them.

The fracture trials gave small laser doses at points. To stay near that range, dim each wavelength, use a shorter timer (it starts at 1 minute) or step back to 12 inches. Warm is fine, hot is not: step back or dim if your skin heats up. If the area feels numb, you may not notice heat, so keep sessions short and check your skin. Leave at least 6 hours between 30-minute sessions.

Do not use the panel if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or preparing for pregnancy, have epilepsy or seizures triggered by light, have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medication, have had sunburn on your body in the past 2 weeks, or have Fitzpatrick skin type V or VI. Painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen, and some antibiotics, can make skin more sensitive to light; our precautions rule out photosensitising medication, so check with your pharmacist or doctor first. With a metal implant, ask your surgeon first.

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 fractures. Never remove or alter a cast, splint or boot to use light, and follow the care plan your doctor or physiotherapist sets.