PBMT is a laser or LED light therapy that improves tissue repair (skin wounds, muscle, tendon, bone, nerves), reduces inflammation and reduces pain wherever the beam is applied.
PBMT has been found to accelerate recovery, reduce muscle damage and reduce post exercise soreness.
During the Space Shuttle era, NASA wanted to study how plants grow in space. However, the light sources used to grow plants on Earth didn’t fit their needs; they used too much power and created too much heat.
In the 1990s, The Wisconsin Center for Space Automation & Robotics partnered with Quantum Devices Inc. to develop a more practical light source. They used light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in their invention, the Astroculture3. The Astroculture3 is a plant growth chamber, using LED lights, which NASA used successfully on several Space Shuttle missions.
Soon, NASA discovered potential applications of LED light not only for plant health, but for the astronauts themselves. Living in low gravity, human cells don’t regenerate as quickly, and astronauts experience bone and muscle loss. So NASA turned to photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT).Photobiomodulation therapy is defined as a form of light therapy that utilizes non-ionizing light sources, including lasers, light emitting diodes, and/or broadband light, in the visible (400 – 700 nm) and near-infrared (700 – 1100 nm) electromagnetic spectrum. It is a nonthermal process involving endogenous chromophores eliciting photophysical (i.e., linear and nonlinear) and photochemical events at various biological scales. This process results in beneficial therapeutic outcomes including but not limited to the alleviation of pain, immunomodulation, and promotion of wound healing and tissue regeneration. The term photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy is now being used by researchers and practitioners instead of terms such as low level laser therapy (LLLT), cold laser, or laser therapy.
light-therapy devices use different kinds of light, from invisible, near-infrared light through the visible-light spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, and blue), stopping before the harmful ultraviolet rays. So far, the effects of red and near-infrared light are the most studied; red light is often used to treat skin conditions, whereas near infrared can penetrate much deeper, working its way through skin and bone and even into the brain. Blue light is thought to be especially good at treating infections and is often used for acne. The effects of green and yellow light are less understood, but green might improve hyperpigmentation, and yellow might reduce photoaging.
