Shining a Light on Back Pain: What the Research Reveals
We aren’t making any claims in this article; we are simply sharing research.
Understanding Back Pain: What Causes It and How It’s Treated
Back pain is a complex condition that can present in many different ways, from lower back discomfort to pain affecting the neck, shoulders, and surrounding areas. Lower back pain rarely has one simple explanation. Instead, numerous physical, lifestyle, and other factors may contribute to its development (1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8). It is also remarkably common, affecting a significant portion of the global population and becoming more prevalent with age (9).
Estimates suggest that approximately 80–84% of adults will experience at least one episode of lower back pain (LBP) during their lifetime, while as many as 40% may experience persistent symptoms. For some, the problem can last for years, with approximately 44% of individuals with chronic low back pain reporting symptoms for five years or longer. The impact extends well beyond personal discomfort and disability. In the United States alone, chronic low back pain has been associated with more than 186.7 million lost workdays each year, while the worldwide costs of managing back pain and its related consequences have been estimated at approximately $200 billion annually. Together, these numbers highlight just how widespread, persistent, and costly back pain can be. (10)
Because the causes of back pain can vary so widely from person to person, there hasn’t been a widely recognized single treatment that has worked for everyone (1). Commonly used approaches until more recently include pain-relieving or muscle-relaxing medications, exercise, and in certain cases, surgery. However, the effectiveness of these options varies considerably depending on the individual and underlying cause of the pain (1; 4; 5).
When back pain becomes persistent, its effects can extend far beyond physical discomfort. Chronic pain may interfere with mobility, daily activities, work, and overall quality of life, sometimes contributing to long-term disability (3). Research also suggests that ongoing back pain may be accompanied by changes in how the nervous system processes and responds to pain over time (3).
It’s also important to recognize that not all back pain is the same. Some people experience non-specific lower back pain, where no single underlying cause can be clearly identified. Others may have pain associated with a herniated disc or discogenic back pain, which originates from changes or damage involving the spinal discs. Understanding these differences is important because the underlying source of pain may influence which approaches are most appropriate for managing it.
The Role of Red Light Therapy in Pain Management
So, where does red light therapy fit into the picture? As previously stated, the more commonly used approaches for quite some time have been standard medications, exercise, and surgery. But in this new day and age we have so many other options available and the research on these options are eye opening.
Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), often called red light therapy or low-level laser therapy (LLLT), has been studied for many different forms of pain. Research has explored its potential for musculoskeletal pain, neuropathic or nerve-related pain, dental pain, fibromyalgia, and other painful conditions and has carried a very good track record for pain in general (14; 15). Rather than simply looking at whether light can temporarily reduce discomfort, researchers are also investigating how PBMT may influence some of the biological processes associated with pain, including inflammation, oxidative stress, circulation, cellular energy production, and nerve signaling.
A 2021 narrative review published in the Journal of Pain examined the growing body of evidence surrounding PBMT and the different mechanisms through which light may influence pain (14). The authors noted that phototherapy is being used increasingly across a variety of pain conditions, with its effects depending on factors such as wavelength, intensity, and how the light is delivered. One particularly interesting example involved 660 nm red light, which has been shown to reduce pain associated with neuropathies and complex regional pain syndrome-I. Taken together, the review highlights just how much researchers are learning about the relationship between light and pain, with the authors describing light therapy as an increasingly useful therapeutic option for helping manage both acute and chronic pain. For those exploring PBMT for lower back pain, this broader research provides an important piece of the puzzle: light's potential influence on pain isn't limited to one condition but appears to involve biological pathways researchers are continuing to uncover and understand.
Additional clinical research gives us an even closer look at PBMT’s potential effects on pain and inflammation. A 2022 randomized, double-blind clinical trial investigated photobiomodulation in patients undergoing third molar surgery, a procedure commonly associated with postoperative pain and swelling (15). Researchers used 810 nm near-infrared light and found that PBMT resulted in reductions in both painand edema (swelling) following surgery. The researchers noted that laser light can produce biological effects capable of modulating inflammatory processes, providing a possible explanation for the improvements observed. Although dental surgery is obviously very different from lower back pain, the findings are valuable to the broader discussion because they provide human clinical evidence that 810 nm PBMT can influence both pain and the inflammatory response, two factors that can also play important roles in many musculoskeletal pain conditions.
That doesn't mean there is one universal "red light therapy for pain" protocol, however. Pain is incredibly complex, and the appropriate PBMT parameters may depend on what is causing the pain, where it is located, how deeply the target tissue lies, and whether the condition is acute or chronic. Wavelength, power, dose, treatment duration, and application technique can all influence the biological response. This is particularly important when discussing back pain, where the source of discomfort may involve muscles, joints, discs, nerves, or a combination of structures.
Still, the broader research surrounding PBMT and pain management is substantial. Researchers have even described PBMT as an effective, low-cost intervention for certain pain-related applications (16). And when we narrow the research specifically to lower back pain, there are some interesting clinical findings worth examining.
One 2020 clinical study investigated low-level laser therapy in people with low back pain. Participants receiving active treatment underwent 12 sessions, with the light applied to several areas associated with their back pain. Importantly, the study included a sham-laser comparison group, allowing researchers to evaluate whether the effects extended beyond placebo. (17)
After one month, both groups experienced improvements in pain, function, and spinal range of motion. However, the improvements were maintained for three months only in the group receiving the active laser treatment. Researchers also reported a striking difference in spinal tenderness: tenderness disappeared in approximately 89% of patients receiving active laser therapy, while it remained unchanged in roughly 73% of participants in the sham group.
The researchers ultimately concluded:
“Laser therapy… is an effective and long-lasting therapeutic strategy in bringing relief from LBP without any significant side effect.” (17)
This study is particularly interesting because it moves the conversation beyond whether PBMT can influence pain in general. It provides human clinical evidence specifically investigating near-infrared light for lower back pain, with improvements that persisted beyond the initial treatment period.
What Is the Best Wavelength for Sore Muscles and Pain, and When Can You Expect Improvements?
Not all wavelengths of light interact with the body in exactly the same way, which raises an important question: Does the wavelength used for lower back pain actually make a difference? One particularly interesting study addressed this question by directly comparing several wavelengths while keeping the other treatment parameters consistent.
The study, titled High Level Laser Therapy for the Treatment of Lower Back Pain: Clinical Efficacy and Comparison of Different Wavelengths, included 66 patients with lower back pain. Researchers compared treatments involving 650 nm, 810 nm, and a combination of 810 nm, 980nm, and 1064 nm. Patients received ten treatment sessions, and researchers evaluated pain, disability, and function immediately after treatment and during follow-up for several months afterward. (18)
Out of All Wavelengths, 810 nm Stood Out
The results were encouraging across the board. All of the wavelengths studied were associated with improvements in lower back pain, and those improvements were maintained during the four-month follow-up period.
However, one wavelength produced particularly noteworthy results: 810 nm.
Patients treated with 810 nm experienced better long-term improvements in both pain and disability at the four-month follow-up compared with the other treatment groups. The 810 nm group also demonstrated significant improvements in functional scores following treatment.
The researchers suggested that 810 nm's effects on nerve regeneration and the transmission of pain signals could explain why this wavelength produced better outcomes.
How Quickly Were Improvements Seen?
Another interesting takeaway from this study is that patients didn't necessarily have to wait months before seeing changes. Significant improvements were already present at the end of the ten-session treatment period.
Even more encouraging, those improvements weren't limited to the immediate aftermath of treatment. Benefits remained measurable throughout the follow-up period, extending as far as four months.
Of course, this doesn't mean everyone with back pain will respond within the same time frame. Back pain can originate from very different tissues and underlying conditions, and treatment response can vary substantially from person to person. But this study provides an intriguing piece of the puzzle: wavelength matters, and among the wavelengths tested, 810 nm produced particularly strong longer-term results. (18)
Comparing Red Light Therapy to Other Back Pain Treatments
Now that we’ve explored what the research says about photobiomodulation for back pain, another important question comes into focus: How does it compare with other commonly used approaches? Back pain can be treated in many different ways, fortunately for us researchers have studied many of these approaches, giving us a better understanding of what may be effective for managing back pain and how light therapy compares.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic care is another commonly used approach for people experiencing lower back pain. A 2026 study took a look at chiropractic care for lower back pain among active-duty U.S. military personnel and found that adding chiropractic care resulted in a meaningful improvement in sleep disturbance, pain interference and physical function. (13)
In a 2020 Comparison of Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Manipulation,
“It was found that those patients who are treated by chiropractors are more satisfied than those who are treated by orthopedic surgeons. Both chiropractic therapy and PT, compared with other non-pharmacologic interventions, are shown to have better, yet similar benefits, and at lower costs.” (12)
Laser irradiation, Lidocaine injections, and Radiofrequency Treatment Comparison
There’s another important question to consider: How does photobiomodulation compare when researchers put it head-to-head with other interventions used specifically for pain relief? One pilot study provides an especially interesting comparison because researchers evaluated laser therapy alongside both a local anesthetic and radiofrequency treatment.
In this 2016 study, 28 patients with chronic axial lower back pain were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments: laser irradiation, a lidocaine injection, or radiofrequency treatment. Researchers targeted the dorsal root ganglion, a collection of sensory nerve cells involved in transmitting pain signals. The laser group received a single treatment using near-infrared light. (23)
Immediately following treatment, every patient in both the laser and lidocaine groups reported at least a 50% reduction in pain, while 10 of the 11 patients receiving radiofrequency treatment reported the same level of improvement.
The differences became even more interesting one month later. 7 out of 10 patients in the laser group still reported greater than 50% pain relief, compared with only 2 of 7 patients in the lidocaine group and 3 of 11 patients in the radiofrequency group.
The researchers concluded:
“Both lidocaine injection and laser irradiation were more effective than radiofrequency treatment for immediate and longer term (1 month post-treatment) chronic back pain.” (23)
These findings are particularly intriguing because the study didn't simply examine whether PBMT could reduce lower back pain. It directly compared laser intervention with two other pain-management approaches, with the laser group showing the greatest proportion of patients maintaining greater than 50% pain relief at the one-month follow-up.
These findings provide an interesting glimpse into the effects of light on nerve-related pain pathways.
The Bottom Line: A Promising Role for Red Light Therapy in Back Pain
Throughout this article, we’ve explored just how many different approaches have been used to manage lower back pain. But when we look at the PBMT research discussed here, light therapy certainly stands out as an especially promising option.
Studies involving photobiomodulation have reported improvements in pain, mobility, physical function, and disability, with benefits continuing after treatment ended. We even looked at research comparing laser therapy directly with other interventions, where PBMT produced particularly encouraging longer-term results. And when researchers compared different wavelengths, 810 nm near-infrared light stood out for its longer-term improvements.
After looking at the different approaches and studies throughout this article, PBMT has built a compelling research story of its own. It is non-invasive, has been studied both independently and alongside other therapies, and may influence not only pain but biological processes involved in inflammation, cellular energy, circulation, and nerve signaling.
As researchers continue investigating treatment protocols, PBMT has a prominent place in the conversation about lower back pain. The science is always evolving, but when it comes to lower back pain, there is certainly plenty of reason to keep shining a light on PBMT.