Do light emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting infrared or red light help wound healing?
Peter Michanek and colleagues used eight healthy adult standardbred horses in the randomised controlled study. The research team made a circular (2cm diameter) surgical skin wound on both sides of the neck of each horse.
The wound on one side was chosen at random to receive the light treatment. The opposite side was left untreated. Light therapy followed a standardised protocol and was given by the same operators throughout the study. Treatment was applied daily (comprising red light for 95 seconds and NIR light for 185 seconds) 5 days a week for 4 weeks.
Wound healing was monitored by someone who did not know whether the wound had received light treatment or not.
The researchers found that the difference in wound area between treated and control wounds did not differ significantly at any stage of the study. It actually took longer for treated wounds to heal completely compared with the untreated wounds. The researchers point out that, although significant, the difference was small and probably not of clinical significance.
They conclude that, in this study, pulsating visible red light or NIR was no better than no treatment in promoting healing of experimental skin wounds.
For more details, see:
Effect of infra-red and red monochromatic light on equine wound healing.
P Michanek, T Toth, E Bergström, H Treffenberg-Petterson, A Bergh.
Equine Vet J (20211) 53, 143
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