Red Light Therapy for Exercise Recovery: What Does the Evidence Say?

Training creates stress. Recovery is the process that allows the body to adapt to it. Athletes, gym-goers and active people looking for red light therapy for recovery in Perth, photobiomodulation (PBM) is attracting increasing interest as a non-invasive approach to supporting recovery. uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light. Rather than simply producing heat, the light interacts with light-sensitive cellular processes and can influence mitochondrial activity, cell signalling and inflammatory responses.

Can red light therapy help muscle recovery?

There is encouraging research, although the answer is more nuanced than some marketing claims suggest.

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis involving 19 studies and 672 participants found low-certainty evidence that PBM applied before exercise reduced subsequent muscle soreness, with evidence of improved muscle performance 24 hours after exercise-induced muscle damage.

A separate 2024 meta-analysis of 34 randomised controlled trials reported improvements in muscle endurance and recovery of muscle strength following pre-exercise PBM. However, results differed according to participants' activity levels and treatment protocols.

Importantly, research specifically examining whole-body photobiomodulation remains much smaller. A 2025 systematic review identified only five studies involving 105 physically active participants. It found some interesting results relating to sleep, but did not find evidence that whole-body PBM improved exercise performance or biochemical markers of recovery.

So PBM is promising—but it should not be presented as a magic recovery switch.

Where does NovoTHOR fit in?

At Lumora Core in Perth, we use NovoTHOR, a professional whole-body photobiomodulation system delivering red and near-infrared light across a much larger treatment area than a handheld or small home device.

Whole-body treatment makes PBM convenient for people training multiple muscle groups, although research into whole-body treatment is still developing.

For us, that distinction matters. Our approach is to provide high-quality photobiomodulation while being transparent about what the science currently does—and does not—show.

Red light therapy for recovery in Perth

If you're training regularly, recovery still starts with the fundamentals: appropriate training load, nutrition, hydration and sleep.

Photobiomodulation may provide an additional recovery tool rather than replacing those foundations.

At Lumora Core in Applecross, Perth, NovoTHOR sessions provide a simple 15-minute whole-body photobiomodulation experience in a professional clinical environment.

Ready to experience NovoTHOR?

Book a 15-minute NovoTHOR session at Lumora Core and discover whole-body red and near-infrared light therapy in Perth.

Photobiomodulation is not intended to replace medical assessment or treatment for an injury or medical condition.

References

Canez MS et al. Effects of photobiomodulation, intermittent pneumatic compression and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle recovery: systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2025.

Li B-M et al. Can pre-exercise photobiomodulation improve muscle endurance and promote recovery from muscle strength and injuries in people with different activity levels? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Lasers in Medical Science. 2024.

Alvarez-Martin M, et al. A systematic review on whole-body photobiomodulation for exercise performance and recovery.Lasers in Medical Science. 2025.