How Red Light Therapy Got Me Back In The Swing of Things
As skeptical as I was, red light therapy turned out to be quite a game changer. In January of 2020 I got a wild idea to start 2020 with a bang. As we all know, 2020 was a real bang. And if you’ve been following this blog or tuning into my YouTube channel, you’ll know that forearm tendonitis has been a real challenge for me since early 2020. I finally found some real relief with the Rolflex Arm & Leg Massager and this tool comes highly recommended.
Finally, after a few years I was able to do pull ups again without experiencing pain in my forearms. I use the Roleflex several times a week and it’s reduced my pain, inflammation and increased flexibility. Three cheers for the Rolflex!
The one thing I hadn’t been able to accomplish yet was…
A high volume kettlebell swing workout. If you caught my last post, I have a ton of affinity for the kettlebell swing. The depth of the tendonitis and forearm inflammation had severely limited not only my pull ups, but heavy kettlebell swings were slowly becoming a thing of the past and literally it was breaking my heart.
Some research online leads me to red light therapy as a possible solution. I remember that my chiropractor had hit my forearms with a laser after performing deep tissue, active release or hitting an area with a Graston tool as it was supposed to speed healing. Seemingly it helped but since I’m only hitting the chiropractor a couple times a month, the frequency of exposure just wasn’t there.
Let me just handle this part real quick, in case you’re wondering…
What does red light therapy do for the body?
“Red light therapy (RLT) is a type of photomedicine that uses low-level laser therapy to deliver red and near-infrared light to areas of the body. RLT can help:
- Regenerate cells
- Restore cell function
- Trigger blood flow
- Heal and relieve pain
- Treat skin conditions, such as wrinkles and psoriasis
- Treat signs of aging, such as redness, acne, and scars
- Relieve joint pain
- Improve mood and energy levels
- Promote muscle recovery and athletic performance
Now that we have that covered, let’s get to my red light therapy before and after story…
The before, meaning probably 3-5 years ago, my forearms could easily handle 12 minutes of heavy swings. A few sample workouts would look like:
- 40kg Kettlebell, 12 minutes, sets of 10 on the minute
- 32kg Kettlebell, 15 swings + 15 burpees, 20 minutes on the clock, as many rounds a possible
- Swing Dropset Complex: 6 @ 40kg, 8 @ 36kg, 10 @ 32kg, 12 @ 28, 14 @ 24 x 5 rounds for time
None of these are easy and often would come as finishers to other weight training such as standing press work. Unfortunately, killer sessions like this have been on hold. I had to get very creative with volume and frequency to avoid the pain.
As mentioned, the Rolflex was working, but I needed a cherry on top. Cherrys are red… see what I did there?
So I ordered a Novaa Light Pad…
Which enabled me to quite literally wrap my forearms in red light. While waiting for my order to arrive I did a test to see what level of discomfort I was at during a my swing workouts. I did a 10 minute session of 5 swings on the minute. I finished the session but it didn’t take too long before the discomfort kicked in. Probably on a scale of 1-10, I hit a 3. (Would have been an 8 before getting the Rolflex.) So let’s be clear, 3 is manageable, it’s tolerable. 3 is, however, not just too much lactic acid or the enjoy the pain, no pain, no gain, working out is hard, kind of pain here. This pain is enough to be distracting and cause concern for further injury with potential to get sharp and severe. It’s something you grimace through and deal with. It’s also something you should’t have.
21 Days Later with Daily Novaa Light Pad Usage
Pain is mostly gone. There is a very very dull ache and I am able to do sets of 5 every 30 seconds now for 12 minutes. And with heavier bells too. This is joyous to me as this type of workouts haven’t been able to happen for a few years now so it is soooo good to be back.
How I’m using my Novaa Light Pad now.
Post workout recovery. After a training session I like to hit the sore spots with red light. Still wrapping the forearm once a week before bed. Other nights I just target recently worked muscles. Recently, I had a strain in my lower abdominal wall that I was concerned could have been a hernia or become one so the light pad was waist side for a few weeks in the evenings. That area is healing significantly faster than expected by the way.
Also, I love laying on it. My t-spine is tight and this combined with foam rolling has helped increase flexibility and reduce stiffness in that area.
Conclusion: Should you get a Novaa Red Light Therapy Wrap? Heck yeah you should!
This is my secret recovery weapon! So far there are over 3000 clinical studies showing the efficacy of red light therapy.
What’s happening in the body when it get’s hit with the red light and infrared light is it produces a biochemical effect in cells that strengthens the mitochondria.
Keep in mind, it’s the mitochondria this is the powerhouse of the cell. This is where the cell’s energy is created. That means YOUR energy. So when you make your mitochondria function better, more efficiently by using RLT, your cells can make more ATP and because they more energy, cells can function more efficiently, rejuvenate themselves, and wait for it… repair damage.
So yes, you should have one and use it on the regular. I’ll be doing another post on the science later, but for now, my meat hooks are living proof this works and my only real regret here is having not gotten this sooner.