Red light therapy for muscle recovery: how runners and Pilates lovers use it

You finish a new reformer class or your first long run in weeks feeling fine. Then on day two, the stairs feel like a mountain. That delayed, second-day ache is normal, and it's why so many runners and Pilates lovers are curious about red light therapy for muscle recovery. This post covers what's going on in your muscles, what the research on light and recovery actually found (and who it was done on), the recovery basics that matter more than any gadget, and a simple routine if you'd like to add a red light wrap to the mix.

Why are you sorest two days after exercise?

That second-day stiffness has a name: delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. It typically shows up 24 to 72 hours after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise, and it can follow running, hiking and eccentric exercise, where muscles work while lengthening, such as lowering slowly against a spring on the reformer or running downhill. It's thought to involve tiny strains in muscle fibres and connective tissue, followed by a local inflammatory response as the area settles.

DOMS is part of adapting to new or harder training. It tends to ease within a few days, and it's uncomfortable rather than a sign you've done something wrong.

What does the research say about red light therapy and muscle recovery?

There's a reasonable amount of research on red and near-infrared light (often called photobiomodulation) and exercise, and the results are encouraging but early. Here's what the main reviews found.

• Soreness. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 14 studies of light therapy for DOMS. Ten reported positive effects and four found none. When the researchers pooled four small studies, soreness was lower than with placebo at 72 and 96 hours after exercise, and strength recovered better at 24 and 48 hours. The authors noted small samples, very different protocols, and the need for larger, better trials.
• Performance and fatigue. A 2023 systematic review of 15 randomised trials (428 participants, mostly healthy men, some of them trained athletes) found that most studies reported better muscle performance and lower blood markers of fatigue and muscle damage, with the most consistent results when light was applied before exercise. The studies varied too much in dose and wavelength to be combined mathematically.
• 660nm and 850nm LEDs. One small 2009 crossover trial in 10 male professional volleyball players used a cluster of 660nm and 850nm LEDs on the biceps before an exercise test. Compared with placebo light, it produced a slight delay in fatigue and lower post-exercise blood markers of muscle stress.

Two honest caveats. First, most of these studies used lasers or hand-held LED clusters applied by researchers to specific points on a muscle, not wearable wraps used at home. Second, where studies reported who took part, participants were mostly men, often athletes, rather than the 45-year-old runner or the 60-year-old who's just discovered Pilates. The findings are a reason to be curious, not a promise.

Recovery basics that matter more than any device

If you're short on time or money, put it into these first. A light device can sit on top of them, but it can't replace them.

• Build up gradually. Most heavy DOMS comes from doing a lot more than usual, all at once. Add distance, reformer springs or new exercises a little at a time.
• Keep moving. Many people find gentle walking, an easy spin or a mobility session on sore days feels better than complete rest.
• Get your strength sessions in. Australia's physical activity guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week for adults aged 18 to 64, alongside your running or classes.
• Prioritise rest and a good night in bed. A review of sleep, recovery and athletic performance describes sleep as an important factor in athletic performance and sees better sleep habits as a key strategy for athletes.
• Eat and drink enough. Regular meals with protein and enough fluid, especially around longer sessions, give your body what it needs to adapt.

If you're weighing up light against other recovery tools, our comparison of red light therapy vs ice walks through how they differ.

How runners and Pilates lovers use a red light wrap

Here's a practical routine that keeps things simple and within the directions for use.

Choose the area

• Runners might focus on the thighs, hamstrings or knees after a long run or a hilly session.
• Pilates lovers might choose the hips, lower back, or neck and shoulders after a class that's worked them hard.

Pick your timing

There's no set rule. Some people prefer a session before training, others afterwards or on a rest day. Choose what fits your week and be consistent. A session on the couch after your Saturday long run is easier to keep up than a complicated plan.

Set up the session

1. Place the wrap directly on clean, bare skin, as clothing reduces how much light gets through.
2. Secure it so it sits snugly without being tight.
3. Keep to one session per area, once a day: up to 20 minutes on the Red Light Wrap's built-in timer, or the session length in the directions for use for the Wrap XL. Our guide to how often to use red light therapy goes into more detail.
4. Avoid looking directly at the LEDs. Our guide to red light therapy and your eyes explains why.

Keep it in perspective

More isn't better. Don't extend sessions, run them back to back on the same area or use the wrap several times a day; stick to the session length in the directions that came with your device. And a wrap is not a reason to push through pain that feels wrong.

Soreness or injury? When to see someone instead

DOMS feels like a general, achy tenderness across a muscle that eases as you warm up and fades over a few days. See a physio or your GP rather than managing it yourself if you notice:

• sharp or sudden pain during exercise, or pain you can point to with one finger
• swelling, bruising or a joint that feels unstable
• pain that makes you limp or change the way you move
• soreness that isn't easing after several days, or keeps returning in the same spot
• pain that wakes you at night

In Australia you can generally see a physio without a GP referral. The Australian Physiotherapy Association's Find a Physio directory lets you search for a physio near you.

About the Red Light Wrap and Wrap XL

The Red Light Wrap uses 360 LED chips at 660nm red and 850nm near-infrared, in about a 2:1 ratio of near-infrared to red. It's wireless and flexible, has adjustable brightness and a built-in 20-minute timer, and can be used on feet, ankles, knees, hips, lower back, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands.

The Red Light Wrap XL is the extra long, wireless version, with 450 LED chips at the same wavelengths. Its length suits larger areas such as the lower back, thighs and hamstrings.

Both wraps are intended for the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain and stiffness, and temporary relaxation of muscles. Use them alongside your training, your strength work and your rest days, not instead of them.

The contents of this blog, such as text, content and graphics, are intended for educational purposes only. The content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider. Consult your healthcare provider before use if you are pregnant, are sensitive to light, or are taking medications that may increase light sensitivity. The Red Light Wrap and Red Light Wrap XL are included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG 469586). Always read the label and follow the directions for use.