Extreme Pain, Trigeminal Neuralgia, And Light Therapy

Hey everyone!

Hope you're enjoying spring - at least, very soon! And some great sunlight at your location. But onto more serious topics:

This week we're covering a new review of using red & near-infrared (NIR) light for "trigeminal neuralgia" - an absolutely horrible pain condition of one of the nerves that stems directly from the brain, not the spinal cord.

We've also added our latest articles and news to this newsletter!

Trigeminal Neuralgia And Light Therapy: Light At The End Of The Tunnel?

So, a new review just came out on trigeminal neuralgia and light therapy - fresh off the press in February 2026. The entire study is free to read.

In 2009 and 2010, when I was working in physical therapy practice, I sometimes had people with "trigeminal neuralgia" on my treatment desk. There's little I could do, except calm patients down and maybe massage their neck and upper back region, give them some exercise (if possible), as their pain would be unbearable.

Trigeminal neuralgia is so painful that it drives people to suicide. And, the pain condition is rarely known among the average person, unless you've ever been affected, then you'll never forget again.

Here's a quote about the cause of trigeminal neuralgia:

"The trigeminal nerve is located in the cranium, and branches into three smaller nerves which control most of the feeling you have in your face.

Trigeminal neuralgia is most typically caused by a blood vessel pressing against the trigeminal nerve as it exits the brain stem. It can also appear after facial trauma or dental procedures."

That same source describes the consequences as such:

"the most terrible pain known to man.”

(Or women, I should say!)

Meaning:

"The pain… is often described as excruciating, like an electric shock.”

And, here's another quote:

Trigeminal neuralgia attacks are “often described by patients as being like ‘an electric shock’ … unlike any other pain previously experienced.”

No bueno!

TENS (a device using electricity on the skin to limit pain) and other forms of electrical stimulation, as well as physical therapy are the routine treatment for this horrible condition. But, fortunately, in 2026, we may have another tool in the toolbox for this condition!

Here's what researchers write about the ability of red light therapy to counter trigeminal neuralgia:

"Qualitative analysis showed that eight out of nine studies reported a significantly greater reduction in pain scores in the [red light therapy] groups compared to control groups. A low to moderate risk of bias was found in two-thirds of the studies. The meta-analysis, which included five studies, demonstrated a significant effect of PBM in reducing pain scores (MD − 2.17; 95% CI, − 3.30 to − 1.04; P = 0.0002), although high heterogeneity was observed (I² = 92%). PBM appears to be an effective adjuvant therapy for trigeminal neuralgia, with a favorable safety profile and potential to reduce medication dependency."

Yes, study quality isn't perfect. And yes, as always, the treatment parameters of different studies vary widely, meaning that the studies don't all have a similar setup. This makes it a lot harder to distinguish what works and what doesn't.

But, most importantly, red light therapy may help you if you've got trigeminal neuralgia, and ease the horrible pain of your daily existence a bit. It's an intenvention I'd have wished for in 2009 and 2010, when treating some of these patients back in the day.

Trigeminal neuralgia, as the name already implies, is a "neuropathy" or nerve pain problem. I've written about light therapy neuropathy in the past - check that article out below:

Even there, for neuropathies in general, light therapy is quite promising in the science. But let's return to trigeminal neuralgia and explore the Feb 2026 review study.

So let's go into the results in the study. First up, you can see that light therapy is generally beneficial on pain scores (Figure 4 in the paper):

Generally, the bars and trapezius figures move to the left, showing that pain control is better with "photobiomodulation" or red and NIR therapy.

Then there's Figure 5, which has excluded studies with a high risk of bias, and the results for photobiomodulation are still better for pain control:

An issue here, in my opinion, once again, is that the treatment parameters are all over the place. Table 2 shows all the light therapy and other treatment protocols used in these studies - here's an example:

And, yes, that's not really helpful for the average reader. Looking at Table 2, however, in the full text of the study in my opinion still shows that different treatment protocols can work. Some treatments use less power for a longer treatment period, and others use very high power for short treatment periods.

If you want a schematic display of the Trigeminal nerve, observe below:

Overall, the researchers write about the many mechanisms by which red light therapy can impede the trigeminal neuralgia pain process and the underlying physiological factors creating that pain:

"Moreover, through quantitative analysis, this review confirmed that laser [light therapy] significantly reduced pain in patients with trigeminal neuralgia. The magnitude of improvement achieved with the addition of [light therapy] to conventional treatment (carbamazepine) reinforces the clinical relevance of the findings of this study. Laser [light therapy] triggers cellular responses that include reduction of inflammation, modulation of neural excitability thresholds, and enhancement of local microcirculation, all of which contribute to pain relief. In addition to modulating the inflammatory response, [light therapy] promotes tissue regeneration, supporting the recovery of neuromuscular structures that are frequently affected."

So far, so good! Yes, more research is needed. But for now, red light therapy is an excellent tool to improve your quality of life if you've got trigeminal neuralgia. The final conclusion mentions, that different treatment protocols will likely work, which is great:

"Despite the heterogeneity among the studies, the findings suggest that PBM is effective as an adjuvant therapy in the management of trigeminal neuralgia, demonstrating a favorable safety profile and potential to reduce medication dependence."

My recommendation? Get a simple device, such as the LightpathLED Torch. Or get a handheld device from one of the more reputable companies out there, such as Rojo, Rouge, Block Blue Light, Hooga, etc - that device should be big enough to treat the entire area. Then, slowly experiment with different doses as we don't have a black on white dosing and wavelength recommendation yet, in this case...

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