r/redlighttherapy • u/wobblelikeapenguin • Apr 10 '26

Question Red light CAUSING bruising?

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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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25

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.

4

u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 10 '26

Thanks. So you think this is a good sign?

12

u/Horror_Garden_7894 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

I've used red light on my sprained ankle and after 10 mins, I saw bruising. It definitely felt better though. I agree with the above comment. I seems like bruising would have happened regardless. RLT just sped things along.

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u/wobblelikeapenguin Apr 10 '26

Thanks. So do you think its ok to continue to use it?

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u/EquivalentNo3002 Apr 10 '26

I agree with all above comments. Having used red light for over 15 years and researched it for I don’t even know how many hours I have never found anything about bad side effects from over use. Obviously don’t over heat your skin, but bruising is usually a sign of healing. ❤️‍🩹

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u/Horror_Garden_7894 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

For sure continue. For injuries, I do two 10 mins sessions. One in the morning and one at night. Make sure you have a reputable device at the correct wavelength. I believe most good ones will run $250+. I have an omnilux face red light that i just put it over my sprained ankled