If you’ve been a patient with us for a while, you know we’re always looking for ways to help your body heal better and recover more completely between adjustments. That’s why we’re excited to introduce our newest addition to the healing therapies room: a Celluma medical-grade red light therapy device.
Celluma is an FDA-cleared device used by chiropractors, physical therapists, and pain management specialists around the world to help patients manage pain and recover from injury without drugs, needles, or downtime. Here’s what it is, how it works, and why it pairs so well with the chiropractic care you’re already receiving.
What Is Red Light Therapy, Exactly?
Red light therapy (also called photobiomodulation or low-level light therapy) uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to reach deep into your tissue and stimulate recovery at the cellular level. It’s a well-studied treatment approach, backed by decades of peer-reviewed clinical research, and it’s now a mainstream tool in pain management and rehabilitation settings.
The science is fairly simple: your cells contain mitochondria, the “powerhouses” that produce energy. When red and near-infrared light is absorbed by those mitochondria, it boosts production of ATP, the fuel your cells use to repair themselves. That extra energy supports the body’s own repair processes, including improved circulation and tissue recovery.
Why This Matters for You as a Chiropractic Patient
You’re likely here to reduce pain, recover faster, or gain more mobility, along with the many other reasons people seek out chiropractic care. A stiff neck, an aching lower back, an old sports injury that flares up, joint pain that makes it hard to get moving in the morning — that’s exactly where red light therapy shines.
Here’s what it can help with:
Pain relief for muscles and joints. Red and near-infrared light penetrate deep into tissue to help manage both acute and chronic pain, including the kind associated with arthritis and joint stiffness.
Muscle recovery. Red light therapy increases local blood flow to muscle tissue, which helps ease muscle spasms, cramping, and the kind of soreness that comes with injury or overuse. If you’re an athlete or simply an active person dealing with recurring strain, this can support your recovery between visits.
Improved circulation. Better blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients reaching the tissues that need to recover, which is a big part of why red light therapy is so often paired with hands-on treatment like chiropractic adjustments.
Joint stiffness and mobility. Many patients deal with stiffness that makes movement harder, especially first thing in the morning. Red light therapy is cleared to help with muscle and joint stiffness, making it a natural complement to the mobility work we do together.
How Deep Does It Actually Go?
This is a common question, so let’s look at the specifics. Red light (around 620–700 nm) penetrates the first few millimeters of skin, which is great for surface-level treatment. Near-infrared light (700–1400 nm) goes much deeper to reach muscles and joints. Celluma devices like ours are calibrated to deliver both, so treatments can address everything from surface tension to the deeper joint and muscle pain many of our patients deal with.
How Is This Different From the Home Devices I’ve Seen Online?
It’s a fair question — you can buy a red light mask or a small handheld wand online for a fraction of what a clinical device costs. The difference comes down to three things:
Power at the skin. Light therapy has a therapeutic window: too little energy reaching the tissue produces no real biological response. Our Celluma panel delivers clinically meaningful output across its full surface. Most inexpensive home devices emit only a fraction of that, which is the main reason home users often see modest results.
Treatment area and fit. The Celluma is a large, flexible panel that contours to the body — back, shoulder, knee, hip — keeping the light at the right distance for a consistent dose, since light energy drops off quickly the farther it sits from your skin. A facial mask treats only the face, and a handheld wand covers just a few square inches at a time, so treating a full lower back simply isn’t practical with those.
Clinical clearance. This is the big one. Celluma is FDA-cleared for specific medical indications — including arthritic pain, muscle spasm, joint pain, and muscle and joint stiffness. Most home devices are general-wellness products or cleared only for cosmetic use, which is a different category entirely. When we use Celluma alongside your adjustment, we’re using a device cleared to treat the very conditions we’re already working on together.
Home devices are perfectly fine for light facial maintenance. This is a clinical-grade tool for the musculoskeletal issues that bring you in — a different category, not just a bigger version of the same thing.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
Red light therapy works cumulatively rather than all at once. The effect builds as cellular energy and circulation improve over a series of treatments, so consistency matters more than any single session.
For most concerns we see in the office, eight sessions is a common treatment minimum. That includes things like:
- Chronic low back or neck pain
- Arthritic joint pain and morning stiffness
- Recurring muscle strain or spasm from athletics or overuse
- Recovery support for an old injury that keeps flaring up
- Skin health and tone
Some patients notice a relaxed, warm feeling and better sleep right away, but the meaningful changes for pain and stiffness typically show up over a series of visits. If you’re addressing a more chronic issue, we recommend the 8-session package rather than one-off visits — it’s structured for the kind of consistent treatment these conditions respond to.
What to Expect During a Session
Sessions are simple and completely non-invasive. You’ll relax in our healing therapies room with the flexible Celluma panel positioned over the area we’re treating, whether that’s your low back, neck, shoulder, or a specific joint. There’s no discomfort, and it’s a great complement to your adjustment. Sessions are 30 minutes but as an added bonus they are bundled with Infrared Sauna, so you have up to an hour in our healing therapies room to use whatever you like!
Ready to Try It?
If you’re dealing with chronic pain, recovering from an injury, or just want to give your body an extra edge, ask us about adding Celluma red light therapy to your next visit — your first session is on us. It’s a simple, evidence-based addition to the care you already trust us for.
Book online or ask about it at your next appointment for more information!