Sex, but not skin tone affects penetration of red-light (660 nm) through sites susceptible to sports injury in lean live and cadaveric tissues.

Red-light treatment is emerging as a novel therapy for promoting tissue recovery but data on red-light penetration through human tissues are lacking. We aimed to: (1) determine the effect of light irradiance, tissue thickness, skin tone, sex and bone/muscle content on 660 nm light penetration through common sites of sports injuries, and (2) establish if cadaver tissues serve as a useful model for predicting red-light penetration in live tissues. Live and cadaver human tissues were exposed to 660 nm light at locations across the skull, spinal cord and upper and lower limbs. Red-light was produced by a light emitting diode array of various irradiances (15-500 mW/cm2 ) and measured by a light-probe positioned on the tissue surface opposite to the light emitting diodes. 100 mW/cm2 successfully penetrated tissue <50 mm thick; a disproportionate irradiance increase was required to achieve deeper penetration. Penetration was unaffected by skin tone, increased with irradiance and relative bone/muscle composition, and decreased with greater tissue thickness and in males. Live and cadaveric tissue penetration did not differ statistically for tissues <50 mm but cadavers required more red-light to penetrate >50 mm. These results assist clinicians and researchers in determining red-light treatment intensities for penetrating human tissues.