TheraBulb Speeds Healing of Injuries and Scars

Interview: We Asked This Customer to Talk About His Experiences with TheraBulb After a Traumatic Sports Accident

We recently spoke with a TheraBulb user after he emailed to tell us how our product helped with his recovery. Joshua, our customer, discovered our red light therapy bulbs after suffering a sports injury that fractured his ankle and fibula, and which required a two-week stay in the trauma center and multiple surgeries.

Describe your accident and the extent of your injury, if you wouldn’t mind.

Back in October, I fell while cruising around on a skateboard. It wasn’t a major fall, but I landed in just such a way that the damage was pretty catastrophic. My right ankle broke -- loudly -- and when I looked down, I could see the bone protruding through the skin.

I was rushed to a trauma center and the bones were set. The next day I went into the OR to have an external fixator installed. It’s a set of metal rods that were screwed into and through my bones to hold everything together before my actual surgery. A week into my stay they also took a few more x-rays and discovered that my fibula had broken below my knee.

This is me the day after being admitted to the trauma center. And that’s what was left of my ankle.

That came a couple of weeks later. It took a while before they could install the plates and screws because the swelling was so bad. The surgeon kept pushing the surgery back to be safe.

Finally, the plate was installed and I was sent home to recover. The external fixator would stay on for another six weeks.

How did you find out about TheraBulb?

I couldn’t do much in the hospital. I couldn’t walk, and with the external fixator on my foot, it was a struggle to use crutches or a walker. I spent a lot of time researching things I could do to speed my recovery.

I was especially concerned when the doctor kept pushing back my surgeries. I was doing everything by the book to bring the swelling down, but nothing was working. They were telling me I had a year of recovery ahead of me, and I didn’t like anything slowing that down even more.

I found TheraBulb while reading up on methods shown to help with swelling, pain, and scarring. All things I was (or would be) dealing with.

What made you decide to try near-infrared light therapy?

Once I started looking, I found all sorts of remedies and supplements and gadgets on the internet. Things that promise to speed bone healing, reduce pain, whatever.

Most of it seemed bogus. But infrared light therapy made sense to me. Heat helps with healing -- that’s basic sports medicine. So even if the main purpose of the light is to deliver heat, it would be beneficial.

Being skeptical by nature, I did want to learn more. I read quite a few studies where researchers used near infrared light to treat pain, skin disorders... even Alzhiemers! Every study I found looked promising enough to justify giving it a try.

And why did you choose TheraBulb?

TheraBulb was the most trustworthy-looking company. There were similar bulbs on the internet, but none of them had the certifications that yours do. I even read bad stories about knock-off companies who just put a layer of red paint over a regular bulb and sell them as IR bulbs.

You also make it clear how much near-infrared light is actually emitted by your products. From the studies I was reading, that’s very important to know because there are certain wavelengths that provide the best results. I could easily see that TheraBulb products emit those optimal wavelengths and are very efficient compared to others I found.

For my money, I’d much rather have something that’s tested and certified where I know exactly what I’m getting.

I ordered the 150w TheraBulb bulb and a generic clamp lamp.

How did you use the product?

Once I got home, I made myself a little setup underneath my desk. I work from home, so I knew I’d be spending pretty much all day every day at that desk until I could walk again. Using the clamp lamp, I positioned the TheraBulb to shine on my injured ankle from directly above.

What were the results?

I immediately noticed that my scars seemed to be healing faster. I have two on the ankle: one on the left side where the bone came through, and one on the right from the surgery.

The “aha” moment was when I realized the scars weren’t healing evenly. They were actually healing faster where the light was hitting them directly. I’m not saying that’s proof enough for a medical journal or anything, but it was a really good sign for me. So I repositioned the lamp to shine directly on the right side of my ankle where the much larger incision was.

Looking back, I wish I would have bought a second lamp right then and there, because the right side (where I moved the lamp) healed much better than the left side.

And for pain, the lamps are fantastic. It’s not up for discussion as far as I’m concerned because I can feel the difference. I was on a mission to use as few painkillers after the accident as possible, and TheraBulb made it possible. I was able to go days at a time without using anything stronger than aspirin -- and that’s with a broken ankle, broken fibula, dozens of metal screws drilled into and through my bones, and two incisions on the mend.

It’s been a few months since your accident. How are you doing now?

I’m well into my recovery and physical therapy. Earlier this week, I actually left the house for the first time without any kind of brace. Went to the gym and everything. My physical therapists were super impressed with how quickly I’m recovering.

I think TheraBulb played a big part in my fast recovery. First off, I think it really did help the healing based on what I was seeing. Secondly, it does wonders for the pain, and since a huge part of recovery is regaining range of motion -- something that can be far, far painful than the injury itself -- I’d say the lamps are giving me a big advantage.

Oh, and I say “lamps” because I finally ordered a few more. I have one of your 150w bulbs in a TheraBulb lamp under my desk now. I use that every day to eliminate the soreness from walking on the ankle. I’m using my original lamp on my lower back to help with the pain of learning how to walk again.

I also ordered one for my mom. She’s been dealing with some very painful skin conditions for the last few years. Nothing has helped her yet, but after seeing what TheraBulb did for my scars, I had to see if it could help her.

Will you keep us posted on that?

Of course!

Would you recommend TheraBulb to others?

Yeah, absolutely. I tell people about it all the time. In fact, I already have a list of about ten friends and family members who could use TheraBulb, and that’s what I’ll be getting them for Christmas!