If you are someone who suffers from foot pain, you know how debilitating it can be. Not only is it difficult to walk or stand, but the pain can also keep you up at night. You may have tried all sorts of remedies, from over-the-counter medications to acupuncture, but nothing seems to help. Well, we have good news for you! There is a new device on the market that promises to provide relief from foot pain: the Bright Health Red Light Therapy Foot Pain Relief Device. In this review, we will take a closer look at this device and explore the health benefits of red light therapy for relieving pain.
So this is perhaps one of the strangest products that we've reviewed in a while. There are a lot of folks who swear by the concept of "Red Light Therapy" for a variety of reasons and so I was excited to check this unit out - more on that below. However, you can't help but be skeptical when a product name looks like it was literally written by the SEO team. Honestly, I have no way to test this "Red Light Therapy Foot Pain Relief Device" (yes, the official title) so I can't say if it works or not, but here are my wife and I's thoughts after using it for a few weeks.
What Is Red Light Therapy For Foot Pain Relief?
There is a growing interest in various forms of light therapy to help stimulate the growth, and regrowth, of human cells. It first came into the alternative health community because of good results that scientists found with using Red Light Therapy (RLT) to stimulate plant growth in space and so the thinking was that it would likewise help with animal cells too.
While there have been numerous studies since then, a lack of peer-reviewed studies in major medical journals has kept it mostly in the domain of holistic medical practitioners.
However, those folks who are looking to try something new should definitely consider this type of therapy and in fact, we've used a medical grade version of this for our dog to help relieve back pain before she passed away. While it didn't allow her to survive, she seemed more mobile after her sessions with Animal Healing Center here in San Diego who refers to RLT as "Cold Laser Therapy".
As a result, we were curious to try Bright Health's device and see how it helped with foot pain in humans.
When you look around the internet for more information on your own, please know that Red Light Therapy goes under a variety of different names and while some have slight differences, they all operate on the same principle.
Here are some names to look for: photobiomodulation (PBM), low level light therapy (LLLT), soft laser therapy, cold laser therapy, biostimulation, photonic stimulation, low-power laser therapy (LPLT). Some practitioners also use it in conjunction with therapeutic medicines as well depending on what the healing objective is.
However, they all operate under the same principle: red light is believed to stimulate mitochondria to produce energy in cells. This will help in a variety of ways from stimulating repair, reducing swelling, or simply making the cellular operation more efficient.
In the case of foot pain relief, Red Light Therapy is said to help with wound healing, muscle relaxation, and relieving pain related to arthritis, neuropathy, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, and pretty much anything that causes pain related to muscles and joints.
Let's Talk About Bright Health's Red Light Therapy Foot Pain Relief Device
Bright Health's device is a plastic platform that you plug into the wall and rest your feet on the LED outline so you can use it to direct the energy directly into the soles of your feet. If you have pain in the top of your feet, ankles etc. this is not that sort of product.
The 15"x17.5"x3.25" device contains 124 medical-grade Infrared and Red Light LEDs that are designed to deliver 880nm Infrared Light that is invisible to the human eye, as well as 660nm Red Light. The device is also OTC Class II Medical Device rated, FDA Cleared as an Infrared and Red Light Natural Pain Relief Device, and there's a 100% product guarantee.
While it feels good quality, it is designed to have your feet rest on it, not for standing or pressing down with high pressure.
Bright Health suggests users try 20 minute treatments no more than 3 times per day for maximum benefit.
Frankly, I can't say for certain that it works but just the experience of taking time to rest my feet on the pad was a nice excuse to relax. However, my one critique is that I wish they could figure out a way to include a rechargeable battery since having to use it close to a wall outlet limits the usefulness.
For more information or to purchase, please visit Bright Health's website.
