Why Athletes Are Obsessed With Near Infrared Light — And Why You Don’t Have to Be an Athlete to Benefit
Anchored in: 2025 Meta-Analysis in Sports Health (14 randomized controlled trials on professional athletes), 2024 Meta-Analysis of 34 randomized controlled trials on muscle endurance, and “Pretreatment of Mice with 830nm Light Enhances Endurance During Acute Exercise” — Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital, 2025
A few years ago, near infrared light therapy was something elite sports teams kept quietly to themselves. NFL teams. Olympic training centers. Professional cycling teams. They were using it for recovery, performance, and injury prevention — and they weren’t exactly broadcasting it.
Now the research has caught up, and the secret is out. Near infrared light is one of the most scientifically validated recovery and performance tools in existence. And here’s the thing we love telling our clients who aren’t athletes: you don’t have to be training for anything to need what it offers.
Your body is doing hard work every single day. Your muscles carry stress and tension. Your joints absorb impact. Your cells are constantly in some state of repair. Near infrared light supports all of that — whether you ran a marathon this morning or just made it through another long day.
What the research shows
The science here is exceptionally strong. A 2025 meta-analysis published in Sports Health reviewed data from 14 randomized controlled trials on professional soccer and volleyball players — elite athletes under conditions of extremely high intensity training and competition. The findings were clear: photobiomodulation therapy using near infrared light significantly improved recovery outcomes and reduced markers of muscle damage.
A separate 2024 meta-analysis — this one pulling from 34 randomized controlled trials — found that near infrared light therapy before exercise significantly improved muscle endurance and facilitated faster recovery in the 24 hours following training.
And in October 2025, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital published a study showing that 830nm near infrared light enhanced endurance during acute exercise — with the mechanism traced directly to mitochondrial activation in skeletal muscle.
These aren’t small studies. These are large scale reviews of multiple trials, involving real athletes, with real measurable outcomes.
Here’s what’s happening in your muscles
Skeletal muscle is exceptionally rich in mitochondria — because muscles need a lot of energy. When near infrared light penetrates your muscle tissue (and it reaches several centimeters deep — well into the muscle layer, fascia, and tendons), it activates cytochrome c oxidase in those mitochondria.
The result is a cascade of beneficial effects:
- More ATP production — more cellular fuel for repair
- Reduced lactic acid buildup — less of that burning soreness after exercise
- Decreased inflammatory cytokines — less swelling and post-exertion inflammation
- Increased microcirculation — more oxygen and nutrients delivered to recovering tissue
- Faster clearance of cellular waste products
All of this adds up to muscles that recover faster, hurt less, and perform better.
Timing matters
The 2024 and 2025 research is also giving us better guidance on when to use near infrared light for maximum benefit. The evidence suggests that a session before exercise activates your mitochondria and helps delay fatigue — you can literally work harder for longer. A session after exercise accelerates the recovery process — reducing soreness within the first 24 hours significantly.
Our SpectraLight beds deliver near infrared light alongside red, blue, and green light in a full body session. That means every muscle in your body is receiving this support simultaneously — not just a targeted area with a small device.
You don’t have to be training for anything
Here’s what we want you to hear: the stress your body carries doesn’t care whether it came from a gym session or a hard week at work, a difficult emotional period, or simply the accumulated tension of daily life. Muscles hold all of it. Joints feel all of it. And your cells are working to manage all of it — constantly.
Near infrared light therapy supports your body’s recovery from all of it. Not just athletic training. Life.
Our clients who aren’t athletes at all are often the ones who feel the most dramatic shift with regular sessions — because they’ve been carrying unaddressed tension and inflammation for so long that the relief is profound.
Come in and let your body recover properly. Your first session is on us. 🤍
— April & Tiffany, Light Therapy San Diego
Book your complimentary session at lighttherapysandiego.com
Disclaimer: The information in these blog posts is for educational and wellness purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Always consult your healthcare provider for any medical concerns.
