What Is the TheraLight Bed?
By: Dr. Allie Schroeder, PT, DPT
You may have heard people mention red light therapy or you may have seen the signs around our clinic or you may have walked by the bed itself in the clinic and wondered “What the heck is that?”

The truth of the matter is, it may be something that could really benefit YOU or work as a nice adjunct to your current physical therapy treatment! TheraLight 360 bed is an all encompassing red light therapy bed that is both researched-backed and an all natural treatment used for many different reasons and treatments.
TheraLight 360 allows for one of the only true 360 degree treatments allowing for a full body red light therapy treatment. Even better - It is a completely pain-free treatment without any dangerous side effects or risks AND it has been shown to deliver positive outcomes more quickly than other passive modalities out there.
So, WHAT does red light therapy do?
The TheraLight 360 bed utilizes red and near-infrared light in 4 different wavelengths allowing for an endless variety of photobiomodulation options. Red light increases circulation and allows for the synthesis of cellular energy. This helps to decrease effects of oxidative stress (influx of free radicals in the body) which can be damaging to the body on numerous levels, ranging from your basic cosmetic effects like wrinkles, to more serious diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Diseases in which prolonged oxidative stress has been linked to include: diabetes and cancer as mentioned above, as well as other inflammatory conditions, Parkinson’s, Alzheimers and more neurodegenerative diseases. Red light therapy (RLT) helps to promote our body’s natural processes for metabolizing any free radicals and thus reducing the damage this stress can cause.
A few of the MANY benefits to RLT:
Jumpstarts the healing process to reduce pain and inflammation
Improves metabolism
Improve joint mobility
Increase mental clarity
Helps to support a healthy immune response
Proven to help reduce anxiety/stress/depression symptoms
Improves overall mood and energy levels
Improves sleep patterns
Helps to regulate blood glucose and insulin levels
Helps to improve neuropathy symptoms and other nerve disorders
Known to support heart and lung health
FDA approved to support weight loss
Decreases swelling and improves lymphedema
Improves skin elasticity and other conditions
AND….
What the TheraLight 360 bed has been proven to help:
Musculoskeletal pain
Arthritis
Tendinopathies
Nerve pain and nerve regeneration
Soft tissue pathologies
Sleep disturbances
Anxiety/Depression
Low energy levels
Okay so, HOW does it do all of that?
The TheraLight 360 bed utilizes photobiomodulation. Photobiomodulation is the use of near-infrared light waves to stimulate cell regeneration, and enhances tissue repair and healing. Red light therapy works to first increase oxygen to cells, thus increasing ATP production to increase mitochondrial activity (helps the powerhouse of the cell to perform at optimal levels). With all of this, RLT works to reduce oxidative stress, free radicals and thus promote overall cell repair.
Research proves how photobiomodulation (RLT) offers a wide range of therapeutic health benefits as listed in the above section.
*For more detailed information (if you’re interested) on oxidative stress and just exactly how red light therapy works at the cellular level to fight potential damage of oxidative stress you can visit the Theralight 360 website here.
So WHAT should I expect during the treatment?
A few common questions asked prior to trying red light therapy are usually “How long should I expect to be in there?” “What will I feel?” “Does it get hot?” “How long will I need this for?”
All great and fair questions!
“How long should I expect to be in there?”
When participating in a TheraLight bed treatment, expect the treatment to last 10-20 minutes. Usually sessions are blocked for 30 minute slots, giving you time to get settled and undressed and then dressed afterwards in the room.
“What will I feel? Does it get hot?”
During the treatment, the near-infrared light does not physically give off heat, HOWEVER it does work to increase circulation which may give you a warming sensation. With that being said, the LED lights in the bed are regulated by a cooling system so you should remain comfortable throughout the entire treatment.
“How long will I need this for?”
The general answer to this question is - everyone is different! There is no real right or wrong prescription to the bed, necessarily. However, it is usually beneficial to start off with 2-3x/week in the more acute phase of treatment/beginning for the first few weeks and then drop down to 1-2x/week and then eventually 1x/week for overall wellness and maintenance. It is something you can certainly start or stop at any point and the guidelines are just meant to be used for standard guidelines, but don’t hesitate to talk to your health care professional about it and listen to your body and go by what you feel works for you!
Last but not least…Remember the TheraLight360 bed is meant to be a very effective ADJUNCT to any fitness regimen, whether that means physical therapy, your specific training and exercising, etc. Exercise and nutrition are always always always important! TheraLight 360 is meant to work alongside both of these things!
If there are any further questions you may still have after reading this article, don’t hesitate to ask our clinic for more information! And give it a try if it is something that sounds like it could benefit you!
If you'd like to try it out for FREE for 3 sessions, sign-up here: https://www.thegrpt.com/theralight We won't ask for any payment information, so you can try it totally risk-free!
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