If you've ever finished a hard workout with sore muscles, you've probably come across two popular recovery treatments: red light therapy and cryotherapy.
Both are widely used by athletes, fitness enthusiasts and people looking for ways to support muscle recovery. But they work in completely different ways.
Red light therapy uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light, while cryotherapy uses cold temperatures to temporarily alter blood flow, tissue temperature and the body's response to exercise.
So, which is better: red light therapy or cryotherapy?
The answer depends on what you're looking for.
Research suggests that both approaches may help with aspects of exercise recovery, particularly muscle soreness. However, studies directly comparing the two have found promising advantages for photobiomodulation (PBM), the scientific term for red and near-infrared light therapy, in several measures of post-exercise muscle recovery.
Here's what you need to know about red light therapy vs cryotherapy.
What Is Red Light Therapy?
Red light therapy uses red and/or near-infrared light to stimulate biological processes within cells.
Unlike ultraviolet light, red and near-infrared light does not work by damaging the skin. Instead, specific wavelengths are absorbed by cellular components and may influence processes involved in cellular energy production and tissue responses.
Red light therapy has been studied for a range of applications, including muscle recovery, pain and exercise performance.
Research into exercise has found that photobiomodulation may help reduce muscle soreness and support recovery of muscle function following exercise. More recent research has also found modest improvements in some measures of muscle strength and endurance, although researchers continue to emphasise that treatment parameters need to be better standardised.
What Is Cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy is the use of cold temperatures for therapeutic purposes.
When it comes to exercise recovery, cryotherapy can refer to several different treatments, including:
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Cold-water immersion or ice baths
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Whole-body cryotherapy
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Cold packs
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Contrast water therapy
These aren't all the same treatment, and their effects can differ.
Cold-water immersion is one of the most commonly studied forms of post-exercise cryotherapy. Whole-body cryotherapy, meanwhile, involves brief exposure to extremely cold air in a specialised chamber.
Cryotherapy is often used after demanding exercise because cold exposure can reduce the sensation of muscle pain and soreness.
Red Light Therapy vs Cryotherapy: What's the Difference?
The simplest way to understand the difference is to look at what each treatment is trying to do.
| Red Light Therapy | Cryotherapy | |
|---|---|---|
| Uses | Red and near-infrared light | Cold temperatures |
| Common recovery use | Muscle recovery and soreness | Muscle soreness and perceived fatigue |
| Effect on tissue | Photobiomodulation at the cellular level | Cooling of tissues |
| Common forms | LED panels, light beds, targeted devices | Ice baths, cold-water immersion, cryotherapy chambers |
| Typical timing | Before or after exercise | Usually after exercise |
| Sensation | Warm or neutral depending on device | Very cold |
| Evidence for exercise recovery | Promising, particularly for targeted PBM | Evidence supports some reduction in soreness |
| Main limitation | Optimal dose and protocols vary | Benefits vary by type, timing and protocol |
Neither treatment is a replacement for the fundamentals of recovery, including adequate nutrition, hydration, sleep and appropriate training load.
Which Is Better: Red Light Therapy or Cryotherapy?
If your main goal is reducing the feeling of soreness, both may have a role.
If your goal is supporting muscle recovery and maintaining muscle function, the evidence for photobiomodulation is particularly interesting.
The direct comparison research currently favours PBMT for several measures of post-exercise muscle recovery, but it's important to remember that the number of head-to-head studies remains relatively small.
Choose red light therapy if you want to:
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Support muscle recovery
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Reduce exercise-related soreness
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Support recovery of muscle strength
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Use a non-invasive treatment that doesn't involve extreme temperatures
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Incorporate recovery into your routine before or after exercise
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Target specific areas or muscle groups
Choose cryotherapy if you want to:
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Temporarily reduce the sensation of muscle soreness
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Use cold-water immersion after demanding exercise
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Include an established recovery technique in your routine
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Prefer cold exposure as part of your recovery strategy
Red Light Therapy vs Ice Baths
One of the most common comparisons is actually red light therapy vs ice baths.
Ice baths are a form of cold-water immersion and have been widely used in sports recovery.
Cold-water immersion can reduce muscle soreness following exercise, and research suggests it can be useful for managing perceived muscle pain.
However, red light therapy offers a fundamentally different approach.
Instead of cooling the muscles, photobiomodulation uses light to influence cellular processes.
This means the experience is also very different.
An ice bath can be uncomfortable and involves exposing the body to cold water. Red light therapy is generally much easier to incorporate into a regular routine because there is no cold-water immersion involved.
For someone who dislikes ice baths, red light therapy can therefore be an appealing alternative to consider.
Does Cryotherapy Reduce Inflammation?
One reason cryotherapy is popular after exercise is its potential effect on inflammation and muscle damage.
Cold exposure can influence inflammatory responses, and some forms of cryotherapy have been associated with changes in inflammatory markers.
However, inflammation isn't inherently something that needs to be eliminated after every workout.
Exercise naturally creates a series of physiological responses that are part of adaptation and recovery. The goal of a recovery strategy shouldn't necessarily be to eliminate every marker of inflammation.
Instead, it's more useful to consider the practical outcome: does the treatment help you feel better, recover function and return to your normal activity?
This is one reason the research on performance, soreness and muscle function is more useful than simply looking at whether a treatment changes an inflammatory marker.
Is Red Light Therapy Better Than Cryotherapy After Exercise?
If you're specifically comparing the two for post-workout recovery, current evidence gives red light therapy a strong case.
A direct systematic review and meta-analysis found that PBMT was associated with better muscle strength recovery, lower DOMS and lower concentrations of some muscle-damage biomarkers compared with cryotherapy. However, only four studies with 66 participants met the review's inclusion criteria, so the findings should not be interpreted as definitive proof that PBMT is always superior.
Other research supports the potential benefits of both approaches.
The most sensible conclusion is therefore:
Red light therapy appears promising for supporting muscle recovery, while cryotherapy has stronger practical evidence for reducing the sensation of post-exercise soreness.
Your choice can depend on what you're trying to achieve.
Can You Use Red Light Therapy and Cryotherapy Together?
There's no need to think of recovery as a competition between different treatments.
Some people may choose to incorporate different recovery strategies into their routine depending on the type of training they've completed and how they feel afterwards.
However, there isn't strong enough evidence to recommend a specific red light therapy + cryotherapy protocol for everyone.
If you're combining treatments, follow the instructions for each device or treatment and avoid assuming that stacking multiple recovery methods will automatically produce better results.
More recovery interventions do not necessarily mean more recovery.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional if you have questions about whether red light therapy or cryotherapy is appropriate for you.