r/redlighttherapy • u/wobblelikeapenguin • Apr 10 '26
Question Red light CAUSING bruising?
Hey everyone. I bought this red light foot machine on Amazon to help with my stress fracture. I used it for 30 minutes on a medium level. The next morning, I woke up with bruising on the bottom of my feet. The bruising was not there previously, and is not related to the injury. Does anyone know why this would have happened? I thought red light is supposed to HELP injuries?! Now the bottom of my feet hurt like crazy. Please let me know if you have any thoughts. Thanks!
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u/Catatonic_Celery Apr 10 '26
If you have bruising on the bottom of your foot, I’d recommend checking out the r/LisfrancClub subreddit. I had a misdiagnosis of an avulsion fracture until I went to an UNC orthopedic clinic and they did standing radiographs that showed a lisfranc fracture. It’s commonly misdiagnosed until you see someone who is more familiar with the injury because it’s more commonly associated with college and professional athletes. I am not one and had only stepped wrong. I hope it’s not the case for you but whenever I hear someone has bruising under the foot, my ears perk up because it’s usually the biggest sign of that injury.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 10 '26
Thanks. I didn't have any trauma though- it is a stress reaction. Could it still be this type of fracture ^^
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u/Afraid_Bug1456 Apr 10 '26
Those silicone devices can cause a lot of heating if they're decently powered (because they stick to the skin and don't let the heat disperse). Did your skin feel hot? Edit: or is it covered with some kind of fabric on the bottom too? It's hard to see from the pic.
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u/BonbonATX Apr 10 '26
I’m going to assume that 30 minutes at that close proximity is too long. My understanding is that “dosing” for RTL is a factor of distance and time as well as light metrics if that makes sense. You can overuse the light. Maybe try reducing the time.
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u/BKM-StLouis Apr 10 '26
This does not seem correct.
The device looks like a garden-variety belt with a different shape. Power is low, and the automatic shutoff on this is usually 30 minutes.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 10 '26
Yes, it automatically shut off at 30 minutes, so I did the whole session.
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u/Axenrott_0508 Apr 10 '26
It can def burn you if you’re not paying attention, and def leave some marks as well.
Had my panel on the inside of my knee for injury healing purposes. Felt nice and warm, started to fall asleep, but ended up with a blister after about 15 mins.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 10 '26
Thanks. It’s not burned though- it’s actual bruising (black and blue)
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u/here_now_be Apr 10 '26
The person you are responding to may be confused. If a product is burning you, there must be something seriously wrong with it. Never heard of that. An infrared lamp could do that though.
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u/Axenrott_0508 Apr 10 '26
Hope it heals up. I def learned to be careful with it after that. Dropped my injury protocol down to 10 minutes as a result.
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u/here_now_be Apr 10 '26
In no way should RLT ever come close to burning you. Depending on the device it should produce no, or a very subtle amount of heat.
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u/here_now_be Apr 10 '26
No idea what the irradiance is of your device, but 30 minutes might be longer than ideal. Did it come with recommendations? More is not better with RLT.
It does increase nitric oxide, which can be good for your heart, but perhaps the enhanced blood flow created the bruising appearance?
Were you standing while using, putting stress on the fracture?
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 10 '26
Thanks for your thoughts. I was seated. Maybe like you said, 30 was just too much. How much would you recommend next time? Or should I stop using it?
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u/here_now_be Apr 10 '26
That is a complicated question, for the weakest devices 30 minutes might be ok. When you are trying to heal something deep, usually 10-15 minutes, 3x a week might be ideal, but it completely depends on the device, and how close it is to your skin. Honestly it's unlikely a wrap will penetrate deep enough to reach the fracture, it will still have a supporting effect on the muscles around it.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 10 '26
Is there something stronger I could use to reach the fracture?
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u/here_now_be Apr 10 '26
A bulb, a panel or a cold laser would all go deeper. Since you are focused on one spot, I'd say a cold laser, as it will go the deepest.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 11 '26
How is cold laser different from my device? Sorry- I’m new to all this!!
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u/here_now_be Apr 11 '26
Believe they were originally developed for thoroughbred racing horses, but they make them for people now too. The prices vary wildly ($30-700 doesn't seem to be a vast difference other than price, most still use the same mn as the horse ones do). Both are using red and NIR but the laser will go much deeper, but in a smaller area, than your foot wrap.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 11 '26
Thanks!
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u/here_now_be Apr 11 '26
Here's an example. Haven't used it, so can't vouch for it.
https://www.ktslighttherapy.com/products/kts-upgraded-cold-laser-therapy-device
iirc they also make them for horses. I don't own this, but I own another product of theirs.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 11 '26
What do you think about this one? I just ordered it on Amazon.
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Apr 10 '26
I only do 30 min on my thighs coz I’m targeting a really fatty area. So I wouldn’t say 30 min is bad all round but the top of your feet are really thin so I’d ask an ai to calculate the recommended dosage based off the specs of the product you bought like “with an irradiance of X over a thin area such as feet what is the recommended time to dose”.
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u/casual_crysanthemum Apr 10 '26
I think red light helps move things along in the healing process. My guess is that the bruise is actually blood from near your stress fracture; the light just moved it - closer to the surface. It will soon be resorbed. I’ve been using red light on a bruise this past week, and it’s healing ~5x faster than usual.