Red Light Therapy for Youth Athletes

Youth sports look more like miniature professional seasons every year. Practices, tournaments, travel, and club teams stack up quickly. Parents see their kids working hard and naturally want options that support recovery, soreness, and long term joint health. That is why more families are asking about red light therapy youth athletes routines and whether devices like Biolight are appropriate for growing bodies.

Red light therapy is generally considered low risk in adults when used correctly, but children and teens are not just smaller adults. Their bones, joints, hormones, and nervous systems are still developing. This article focuses on safety, growth plates, and practical parental guidance so you can have informed conversations with healthcare providers and make grounded choices for your family.

Why Parents Are Considering Red Light Therapy For Kids

Parents usually come across red light therapy in two ways. Either they see devices in a physical therapy clinic or gym that works with athletes, or they hear other parents talking about home panels for soreness and recovery.

Common goals include:

• Easing muscle soreness after tournaments or back to back practices
  
  

• Supporting joint comfort in knees, hips, or shoulders that see a lot of repetitive loading
  
  

• Providing a non drug approach for general recovery alongside sleep, nutrition, and mobility work
  
  

These goals are understandable. At the same time, most controlled research on red light therapy has been done in adults. That means decisions for children need an extra layer of caution and professional input.

Safety Considerations In Younger Bodies

When you think about red light therapy youth athletes, safety questions usually fall into three buckets: eyes and skin, growth plates and development, and underlying medical conditions or medications.

Eyes and skin

Red light therapy devices used as directed are designed to be safe for skin, but there are still basic precautions for kids:

• Follow manufacturer guidelines for distance and session length.
  
  

• Make sure the skin being treated is healthy, without open wounds, infections, or unexplained rashes unless a healthcare professional has cleared light over that area.
  
  

• Protect the eyes if the face or upper body is very close to the panel. Younger children in particular may have trouble keeping their gaze away from bright light, so supervision and eye protection are important.
  
  

If a child has a history of light sensitive conditions or takes medications that increase photosensitivity, red light therapy should only be considered under direct medical guidance.

Growth plates and developing joints

Growth plates are regions of growing cartilage near the ends of long bones. They are active zones of bone development throughout childhood and adolescence. Because these structures are unique to younger bodies, parents understandably worry about how any modality might affect them.

There is limited direct research on red light therapy targeted specifically at growth plates in healthy youth athletes. Most photobiomodulation studies focus on adult tissues or on specific medical conditions. For that reason, a conservative approach makes sense:

• Avoid deliberately focusing intense light sessions directly and repeatedly over major growth plate regions, such as the front and back of the knees, without professional guidance.
  
  

• If a physical therapist, sports medicine physician, or pediatrician familiar with photobiomodulation recommends targeted use, follow their protocol exactly.
  
  

• Consider using broader, shorter sessions that include larger muscle groups rather than highly focused treatment right over skeletal hotspots, unless there is a clear medical reason and supervision.
  
  

The key message is that growth plates deserve respect. When evidence is limited, caution and professional input are better than assumptions.

Medical conditions and medications

Even for adults, light based therapies are used with extra caution in people who:

• Have a history of skin cancer or pre cancerous lesions
  
  

• Take medications that increase light sensitivity
  
  

• Live with autoimmune skin disorders or other complex medical conditions
  
  

For children and teens, the bar for caution is even higher. Before starting any red light therapy youth athletes routine, parents should talk with:

• The child’s pediatrician
  
  

• A sports medicine physician or pediatric specialist if the child is already under their care
  
  

• Any physical therapist or athletic trainer working closely with the athlete
  
  

They can help screen for conditions or medications where red light therapy may not be appropriate or needs careful adjustment.

Practical Guidelines For Parents Considering Red Light Therapy

If you have spoken with your child’s healthcare provider and they agree that red light therapy could be reasonable, it helps to have practical guidelines.

Age and supervision

As a general rule:

• Very young children are usually not good candidates for routine red light therapy. They cannot reliably follow instructions, hold still, or report sensations clearly.
  
  

• Older children and teens may be candidates, but only with active parental supervision and medical input.
  
  

For any youth athlete using Biolight:

• An adult should always be present during sessions.
  
  

• The parent should control device settings and timing.
  
  

• The child should know they can speak up if anything feels uncomfortable or unusual.
  
  

Session length and frequency

If a healthcare professional has cleared use, starting with a cautious, low dose approach is wise:

• Keep sessions shorter than typical adult routines at first, and stay within or below manufacturer guidelines.
  
  

• Use only a few sessions per week rather than daily exposure at the beginning.
  
  

• Focus on days with heavier training loads or tournaments, not on stacking light on every single day regardless of activity.
  
  

Parents can check in with the child after each session, asking about skin sensations, warmth, headaches, or any odd feelings. Any consistent discomfort is a signal to pause and talk with a clinician.

Body regions and positioning

For many youth athletes, light sessions can be structured around:

• Larger muscle groups that handle the most load, such as quads, hamstrings, calves, and hips for field and court sports
  
  

• Upper back and shoulders for swimmers, throwers, and overhead athletes
  
  

You can position a Biolight panel so the child stands or sits at the recommended distance while you keep time. Avoid complex positions that feel awkward, unstable, or put strain on already sore joints. Comfort and stability come first.

Integrating Biolight Into A Healthy Youth Athlete Routine

Even if red light therapy is part of your plan, it should not be the center of it. The biggest drivers of youth performance and long term health remain very simple.

Foundations that matter more than any device

For growing athletes, the primary pillars are:

• Sleep: Age appropriate bedtimes, regular schedules, and enough total sleep hours.
  
  

• Nutrition: Balanced meals that support growth, recovery, and stable energy, not just fueling for games.
  
  

• Training load: Reasonable practice and competition volume, including true rest days and off seasons.
  
  

• Movement quality: Strength, mobility, and technique work appropriate for their age and sport.
  
  

Biolight can be a layer on top of these foundations, supporting comfort and recovery, but it cannot replace any of them.

Sample Biolight routine around busy sports weeks

If a provider has approved use, a modest routine might look like this for a teen athlete:

• Two or three sessions per week during busy periods, such as tournament blocks.
  
  

• Ten to fifteen minutes per session, within Biolight guidelines and under adult supervision.
  
  

• Focus on bigger muscle groups that feel sore or fatigued, such as legs after tournaments or back and shoulders after heavy training days.
  
  

On days with no practice or games, you might skip light altogether and emphasize sleep, stretching, and unstructured play instead.

How To Talk With Coaches And Healthcare Providers

Parents do not have to figure this out alone. Bringing coaches and clinicians into the conversation creates a safer, more coordinated plan.

When you talk with a provider, you can ask:

• Whether red light therapy is appropriate for your child’s age, sport, and health history
  
  

• Which body areas are reasonable to target and which should be avoided
  
  

• How often and how long sessions should be, and what signs should prompt you to stop
  
  

When you talk with coaches or trainers, you can clarify:

• Whether the team is already using red light therapy in any way
  
  

• How they view recovery priorities for their athletes
  
  

• How to coordinate home Biolight use with practice, strength work, and rest days
  
  

The goal is not to turn your child into a lab project. It is to make sure everyone responsible for their wellbeing is on the same page.

Key Takeaway

Interest in red light therapy youth athletes routines has grown alongside youth sports in general. Red light therapy may offer a gentle way to support comfort and recovery, but evidence in children is still limited and growing bodies bring extra considerations. Eyes, skin, growth plates, and underlying medical conditions all need careful attention.

With medical guidance, active parental supervision, modest doses, and a focus on whole body health, Biolight can be one small part of a larger recovery picture. The real foundation for young athletes remains simple: sleep, nutrition, sensible training, and environments that protect their long term love of movement.

FAQ

Is red light therapy proven safe for all youth athletes?

No. Most research has been done in adults, and there is not enough high quality evidence to say that red light therapy is universally safe or beneficial for all children and teens. That is why it is important to involve a pediatrician or sports medicine professional before starting, especially if there are medical conditions or medications in the picture.

Can red light therapy affect growth plates in kids?

There is limited direct research on red light therapy and growth plates in healthy youth athletes. Out of caution, it is best not to repeatedly target growth plate regions with intense, focused sessions unless a healthcare professional who understands photobiomodulation specifically recommends it. A conservative, supervised approach is safest while evidence continues to develop.

Should my child use red light therapy every day during their season?

Probably not without specific medical guidance. For most youth athletes, if red light therapy is used at all, it is more reasonable to use it a few times per week around heavier practice or competition days rather than daily. Too much focus on devices can distract from the basics that matter most, like sleep, smart scheduling, and balanced training.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a pediatrician or qualified sports medicine professional before starting or changing any exercise, recovery, medication, or red light therapy routine for a child or teen, especially if there are existing health conditions, injuries, or concerns about growth and development.