Red light therapy, also called photobiomodulation, uses low-level red and near-infrared light aimed at tissue to support healing, and it has become one of the most common wellness treatments marketed for achy knees in Honolulu. It is easy to dismiss as a spa fad, but photobiomodulation is a researched medical modality with a growing randomized-trial base, including several new 2026 reviews. This article reads the evidence honestly: where red light therapy genuinely helps knee arthritis, where the effect is modest, and how it fits with the other treatments a Honolulu clinic offers.
32%
average pain reduction on a visual analog scale for photobiomodulation versus sham reported in a 2026 systematic review
139
randomized trials and 9,644 patients in a 2025 network meta-analysis that included laser therapy among effective knee osteoarthritis options
18-25%
reported improvement in function and WOMAC scores with photobiomodulation in a 2026 review
Photobiomodulation, or PBM, also called low-level laser therapy, delivers red and near-infrared light at specific doses and wavelengths to tissue. The light is absorbed by cells and supports the mitochondria, the energy centers of cells, and appears to dampen inflammation. It is not a heat treatment, it is not the same as red light in a sauna, and the dose and settings matter a great deal. Done well, it is a conservative, low-risk addition to a knee care plan; sold as an add-on to a marketing pitch, it is easy to overstate.
A 2026 systematic review in Sport Sciences for Health reported that photobiomodulation reduced knee osteoarthritis pain on a visual analog scale by roughly 32 percent versus sham, with improvements in function and WOMAC scores of 18 to 25 percent. A separate 2026 review in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology synthesized 59 studies, most of them randomized, and concluded that higher-quality trials show consistent short-term pain and function benefits when proper parameters are used and PBM is combined with exercise. These are real but modest effects.
“A 2026 systematic review in Sport Sciences for Health reported that photobiomodulation reduced knee osteoarthritis pain by roughly 32 percent versus sham, with functional and WOMAC improvements of 18 to 25 percent, effects that are real but modest and dose-dependent.”
Red light therapy for knee arthritis did not appear in 2026. A 2025 network meta-analysis in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, pooling 32 randomized trials and 2,078 patients, ranked low-level laser therapy as the highest-efficacy physical modality for both pain reduction and joint function, ahead of shockwave and ultrasound. A 2025 network meta-analysis in PLOS ONE, with 139 randomized trials and 9,644 patients, similarly included laser therapy among the effective options. The newest layer, a 2026 randomized trial of 80 total knee replacement patients, found preoperative photobiomodulation non-inferior to the NSAID celecoxib for resting pain at 24 hours, supporting it as a prehab option.
The word to keep in mind is modest. Pain reductions of roughly 14 to 32 points on a 100-point scale are meaningful for many people but are not a cure, and study quality is often rated low to moderate, with many small trials. Some of the benefit of any hands-on treatment is the attention and expectation that come with it. Dose, wavelength, and how consistently treatment is applied all matter, and photobiomodulation works best when it is part of a plan that includes exercise and weight management, not instead of them.
Photobiomodulation is conservative care: it aims to support pain and function rather than to repair a worn knee the way an injection or surgery might. It can be a reasonable first step for mild knee arthritis, a complement to a strengthening program, or part of recovery after an injection. It does not replace the evaluation that tells you whether your knee pain is arthritis, a meniscus tear, or a ligament problem, and it is not a substitute for a biologic treatment like PRP when the evidence supports one. The right order is diagnosis first, then the plan.
Red light therapy is one of the better-supported conservative treatments for knee arthritis, with consistent short-term pain and function benefits in the 2025 and 2026 reviews, but the effect is modest and it works best as part of a broader plan. If your knee hurts enough to interrupt your Honolulu routine, start with a real diagnosis, build a plan that includes exercise, and treat any single therapy, laser, injection, or otherwise, with honest expectations.
A note from the clinic
At Aloha Stem Cell in Honolulu we help patients sort the evidence for every treatment they are considering, including red light therapy. We will tell you plainly whether photobiomodulation is a reasonable part of your plan, how it compares with the other options, and whether a biologic treatment like PRP is supported for your specific knee findings. Call (808) 593-2525 or book a consultation.
Our team is happy to listen to your story, answer your questions, and help you decide whether a consultation makes sense. There is no pressure and no obligation.
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