Red Light Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis: A Promising New Frontier

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex and deeply challenging condition. It often appears early in adulthood, commonly between the 20s and 40s, and follows a progressive course. At present, there is no way to reverse the disease, and for many people its impact increases over time.

MS is also unpredictable. Symptoms can fluctuate, remain invisible to others, and affect nearly every aspect of life. Physical limitations, cognitive strain, emotional stress, and social challenges often overlap, creating a burden that extends far beyond what’s visible on the surface.

Clearly, better supportive strategies are needed.

That naturally raises the question: could red light therapy play a role in MS care?

The emerging answer is encouraging. A growing body of research suggests that red light therapy may offer meaningful benefits for people with MS, particularly in areas like inflammation, cellular energy, and overall quality of life. While more research is still needed to clarify optimal protocols and dosing, the science so far is promising. This article explores that evidence in depth and examines how red light therapy and specific devices may fit into a broader MS support strategy.

Introduction into Multiple Sclerosis

First, let’s lay the groundwork by covering the fundamentals of multiple sclerosis. This introduction draws on review papers published within the last five years, which integrate and evaluate large bodies of earlier research into a coherent overview of the disease (1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13).

Building a solid understanding of MS is essential. Once the core disease mechanisms are clear, it becomes much easier to understand why light therapy is being explored as a potential supportive strategy for multiple sclerosis and how it may fit into a broader treatment framework.

The Basics

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition (1). In autoimmune diseases, the immune system mistakenly turns against the body’s own tissues, failing to distinguish between “self” and “non-self.” Instead of targeting true threats like bacteria or viruses, immune activity becomes misdirected toward healthy cells.

In MS, the immune system primarily attacks the myelin sheath of the nervous system (14). Myelin is essential for efficient nerve signaling. It acts like insulation around nerve fibers, dramatically increasing signal speed and accuracy. In many ways, myelin functions as the high-speed highway that allows the brain, spinal cord, and body to communicate effectively.

When myelin in the brain and spinal cord is damaged, nerve conduction slows and signaling becomes disrupted. This leads to impaired communication between the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves. Over time, repeated injury can result in scar tissue formation, known as sclerosis, which may cause lasting or permanent nerve damage.

MS is one of the leading neurodegenerative diseases affecting young adults (1). Its development is influenced by both genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. One of the strongest environmental risk patterns involves latitude, or distance from the equator, which closely tracks with vitamin D status (15; 16; 17; 18; 19). This relationship suggests that sunlight exposure plays a significant role not only in MS risk, but potentially in symptom modulation as well—an important theme that will be explored later.

Diagnosing MS: From Clinical Criteria to Disease Subtypes

The ability to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS) has improved dramatically over the past few decades, largely due to major advances in MRI technology (1). Modern MRI scans are not only more sensitive, but also easier to interpret, allowing clinicians to detect MS-related changes earlier and tailor treatment strategies more precisely.

That said, diagnosing MS is still far from straightforward (14). Many MS symptoms overlap with those of other neurological conditions, which means diagnosis requires a comprehensive and careful evaluation. This typically includes a detailed medical history, MRI imaging, neurological examinations, nerve conduction studies, and, in some cases, a lumbar puncture to analyze cerebrospinal fluid (14).

MS is also not a single, uniform disease. Several clinical subtypes exist. The most common form is Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS), characterized by periods of symptom flare-ups followed by phases of partial or full recovery. Approximately 80% of people with MS are initially diagnosed with RRMS (2).

Other forms are progressive in nature, meaning symptoms worsen steadily over time. These include Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) and Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS). In PPMS, neurological decline occurs gradually from the onset of the disease, without clear relapses or remissions (2; 8). SPMS, on the other hand, typically develops after an initial relapsing-remitting phase and may still include intermittent relapses, especially early on (20).

About 15% of individuals with MS are diagnosed with the primary progressive form (2). However, there is ongoing debate in the scientific and clinical communities about how best to define and categorize these MS subtypes, particularly when it comes to distinguishing the transition into SPMS.

"…definitive clinical, imaging, immunologic, or pathologic criteria that demarcate the transition from relapsing-remitting MS to SPMS" (8)