SoothIR Benefits Series: Arthritis
“Arthritis is one of the most important clinical indications for LLLT.” “Osteoarthritis affects more than 3.8% of the population while rheumatoid arthritis affects .24%. Both types have been successfully treated with LLLT.” (1)
I wish I could tell you that the soothIR™ can cure arthritis, but I can’t say that yet, because we haven’t done the careful clinical study that is required for submission to the FDA for clearance. Someday, after the work is done and the study submitted, I hope to be able to make that claim.
A few years ago my wife, Jean, had chronic neck pain and was diagnosed with neck osteoarthritis. She had several rounds of physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, electrical stimulation, and massage therapies. Nothing helped her pain. In an attempt to help a loved one in pain, I built a series of collars based on near infrared LEDs at a high enough power to gently warm her neck. It felt good to wear it, and she did for several months at about a half hour at a time. After a few months, to both of our surprise, she was soothed and her neck pain was gone, including an increase in range of motion. It was only then that I investigated the scientific literature and learned that infrared light treatment of arthritis had been around since the early 2000s, with many reports of success.
The two most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (a degenerative joint disease that mostly affects the fingers, knees, and hips) and rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune joint inflammation that often affects the hands and feet). Pain, reduction in range of motion and continued joint degradation are the most common symptoms of both forms of arthritis. The soothIR™ addresses all three of these symptoms:
Pain
-Infrared light treatment is known to reduce pain.
Inflammation
-Infrared light treatment at the proper dosage is known to reduce inflammation.
Joint Degradation
-Once inflammation is reduced by initial treatment, infrared light treatment is known to elicit a powerful wound healing response that can help repair the injured joint.
Pre-Clinical studies were performed by several groups. Pallotta et al (6) 2012 measures 2 markers of arthritis: leukocytes and neutrophils. “In our study, laser irradiation was significantly effective in reducing the total number of leukocytes as well as neutrophils in the joint cavity. This fact was corroborated by the inhibition of myeloperoxidase activity that represents a chemical marker of neutrophil infiltration.”
Alves et al(7) in 2013 used an animal model to show that a single application of near infrared light produced significant reductions in inflammatory cells 24 hours later.
Clinical studies on patients can be found as early as 2001. Ozdemir et al (3) treated sixty patients between 20 and 65 years old. The patients were diagnosed with cervical osteoarthritis (like Jean had). In a randomized blind trial, they concluded that the pain was reduced and the range of neck motion and function improved in the treated group, as opposed to no improvement in the control group.
In 2012, Rayegani et al (4) tested 37 patients, 13 treated with infrared light (LLLT), 12 placebo and 12 with ultrasound. The LLLT group had superior pain relief, and disability was decreased in the LLLT and ultrasound group, but not in the placebo group. They concluded that “Our experience showed that low-level laser is an effective treatment for short-term improvement in patients suffering from painful knee osteoarthritis”
In 2016 Youssef et al (5) treated 51 patients randomized to different infrared light dosing for knee osteoarthritis. They received 16 sessions, 2 treatments a week for 8 weeks. Tests showed that pain was reduced, muscles were strengthened, and range of motion of the knee was increased.
Non-surgical alternate treatments for arthritis include analgesics like acetaminophen, NSAIDs like ibuprofen, and COX2 inhibitors like Celebrex, but these therapies have significant risks of adverse effects such as GI bleeding with NSAIDs and heart attack risk with Celebrex.
Based on this research, and my personal experience with Jean, I am very excited to have people with arthritis try the soothIR wellness approach of near infrared treatment. For under $100, you can provide relief to yourself or a loved one, as I did with Jean. Being able to relieve arthritis pain in a loved one is very rewarding.
Disclaimer: The soothIR has not been evaluated or cleared by the FDA for treatment of arthritis. SoothIR is a wellness tool, not a medical device.
Talk soon,
-Ed
1) “Mechanism and application of the anti-inflammatory effects of Photobiomodulation” Michael R. Hamblin AIMS Biophys 2017; 4(3): 337-361
2) “Can osteoarthritis be treated with light” Micheal R. Hamblin Arthritis Research and Therapy 2013, 15:120
3) “The clinical efficacy of low-power laser therapy on pain and function in cervical osteoarthritis” Clin Rheumatol. 2001;20(3):181-184
4) “Therapeutic Effects of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) on Knee Osteoarthritis, Compared to Therapeutic Ultrasound” Journal of Lasers in Medical Sciences; Volume 3; Number 2, Spring 2012
5) “Effect of Laser Therapy on Chronic Osteoarthritis of the Knee in Older Subjects” Youssef,Muaidi, Shanb Journal of Lasers in Med Sci 2016 Spring;7(2) 112-119
6) “Infrared (810nm) low-level laser therapy on rat experimental knee inflammation” Pallotta, Bjordal, Frigo, et al. Lasers Med Science 2012 27:71-77
7)“Effect of low level laser therapy on the expression of inflammatory mediators and on the neutrophils and macrophages in acute joint inflammation” Alves, Vierra, Leal-Junior et al Arthritis Research Treat 2013 15:R116