Red-Light Therapy for Stress and Chronic Pain
Video by Dr. Trent Yeomans
Stress isn’t just mental—it’s a physical cascade that tightens muscles, fuels inflammation, and prolongs pain. At Texas Chiro Health, we recognize that reducing stress can be a direct pathway to relieving chronic aches and boosting recovery.
A 2022 controlled trial by dos Santos Cardoso et al. examined how red/NIR photobiomodulation (PBM) affected cortisol, corticosterone, TNF‑α, and IL‑6—key indicators of stress and inflammation—in stressed animals. The intervention significantly lowered all these biomarkers, pointing to a real physiological down-regulation of the stress response.
While this was an animal model, it adds to growing evidence that PBM can influence the same systems that drive pain, tension, and delayed healing in humans. When the nervous system is less reactive, muscles release, inflammation settles, and the body enters recovery mode.
Why This Matters for Patient Health
Chronic pain—whether in the neck, back, or joints—often stays because the body stays in a heightened alert state. Your brain perceives threat, signals tissue injury, tension increases, and inflammatory pathways stay active. Interventions like red/NIR PBM offer a non‑invasive way to lower cortisol and cytokines, helping the body shift into repair mode. Even though direct human trials on pain and stress are still growing, the mechanism is compelling: lower stress at the biochemical level, lower pain in your tissues.
Used alongside chiropractic adjustments, posture correction, nutrition and movement plans, photobiomodulation could enhance resilience and reduce flare-ups.
Citation
dos Santos Cardoso F., et al. (2022). Photobiomodulation decreases serum cortisol, corticosterone, TNF‑α, and IL‑6 induced by restraint stress.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.go
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our East Dallas Chiropractors located in Lakewood, near the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., are here to teach you that taking care of your mental health and getting the proper nutrients are just as important as the chiropractic adjustment to stay healthy.
