UNLV Football Adds Red Light Therapy Chambers
The Las Vegas program installed four therapy chambers in its recovery room and reports a lower injury rate than last year.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Football
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UNLV football installed four red light therapy chambers in the recovery room of its training facility, and the program's injury rate has decreased compared to the same time last year. The chambers were funded by private donations.
Why it matters
The chambers are meant to help players warm tissue before practice and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness afterward. Red light therapy devices are not FDA-approved, so the approach remains experimental for this use.
The program cites a lower injury rate than the same period last year, but the source does not quantify the decrease or separate it from other training changes. Red light therapy devices are not FDA-approved, and the evidence supporting their use in this setting is not established in the source.
The players
UNLV Football
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas football program, which installed the red light therapy chambers in its training facility recovery room.
The details
Red light therapy uses red and near-infrared light in a process called photobiomodulation, a technology that has been around since the late 1960s. The football program is also considering red light helmets in the near future.
Timeline
Prior-year comparison period: the same time last year, used as the baseline for the injury rate.
Within the first four months: benefits observed after the chambers were installed.
Near future: the program may adopt red light helmets.
Big Picture
Photobiomodulation red light therapy, a technology dating to the late 1960s, is now being applied in collegiate football recovery rooms despite lacking FDA approval for these devices. The UNLV installation extends a long-standing light-therapy technology into a new athletic setting.
Athletes and fans in Las Vegas may see recovery practices like red light therapy become more common in college sports. Because the devices are not FDA-approved, the practical benefit for everyday athletes remains uncertain.
The takeaway
Recovery technologies are spreading into college athletics faster than their long-term evidence base, so readers should weigh reported benefits against the lack of FDA approval.
Further reading
Explore more Football coverage from across the Las Vegas area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fox5vegas.
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