<\/p>\n
For years, athletic recovery lived in the background of performance culture\u2014important, but rarely headline-worthy. Training programs focused on strength, speed, and strategy, while recovery was treated as an afterthought, something addressed only once the body broke down. That paradigm has been flipped over the last 20 years, driven by a new generation of athletes\u2014and technologists\u2014who understand that availability, durability, and marginal gains often decide championships, and the next contract.<\/p>\n
Bradley Carden didn\u2019t set out to become a disruptor in recovery technology<\/a>. In fact, when he first encountered red-light therapy, he dismissed it outright. It sounded too simple, too fringe, too disconnected from the rigor of science and engineering that had shaped his career. \u201cI thought it was BS,\u201d Carden says plainly. \u201cI didn\u2019t believe it worked at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, his company, Solbasium, <\/a>is trusted by multiple NFL franchises, its technology visible on the sidelines of nationally televised games. What changed wasn\u2019t Carden\u2019s skepticism\u2014it was the evidence. And in an industry where results matter more than rhetoric, that distinction has made all the difference.<\/p>\n Before Solbasium, Carden was already deeply embedded in the world of innovation. He had an obsession with science, technology, and engineering, and had previously launched a startup focused on wireless power\u2014an ambitious venture that ultimately failed. The experience forced him to step back, reassess, and refine what he was truly looking to build.<\/p>\n \u201cI always knew the next thing had to push the limits of what was already on the market,\u201d Carden says. \u201cIt had to genuinely interest me, and it had to be real.\u201d<\/p>\n That search led him\u2014almost reluctantly\u2014to light therapy. After dismissing it multiple times, Carden finally began reviewing clinical studies and peer-reviewed research. What he found surprised him: thousands of papers validating the effects of light on cellular function<\/a>, inflammation, and recovery. \u201cI couldn\u2019t understand why nobody had really built meaningful products around it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The final confirmation came not from a journal, but from his own body. After suffering a chronic elbow injury from jiu-jitsu, Carden tested an early red-light device. The pain vanished\u2014and didn\u2019t return. \u201cThat was it,\u201d he says. \u201cI knew this worked.\u201d<\/p>\n The experience reframed his mission: build recovery technology that could stand up to real-world use, not just theoretical promise.<\/p>\n At its core, red-light therapy works by delivering specific wavelengths of light that penetrate the skin and stimulate cellular energy production. By activating mitochondria\u2014the engines of the cell\u2014it helps increase ATP (adenosine triphosphate) output, reduce inflammation, and accelerate tissue repair. ATP is the body\u2019s primary energy currency. Every time a muscle contracts, tissue repairs itself, or a cell performs a basic function, it spends ATP. Higher ATP output means cells have more energy to do their work efficiently. The science has existed for decades, but until recently, the technology wasn\u2019t engineered for consistent, high-performance use.<\/p>\n When Solbasium entered the market, recovery technology was largely defined by one breakthrough: the massage gun<\/a>. Beyond that, options were limited, fragmented, or positioned more toward beauty and wellness than performance.<\/p>\n \u201cLight therapy was basically missing from fitness recovery altogether,\u201d Carden explains. \u201cPeople were using it cosmetically, but not athletically.\u201d<\/p>\n Carden saw a fundamental disconnect. Athletes were training harder, playing longer seasons, and facing greater physical demands than ever\u2014but the tools designed to help them recover hadn\u2019t evolved at the same pace. Simplicity, durability, and effectiveness were often sacrificed for novelty.<\/p>\n Solbasium\u2019s approach was different. Instead of chasing trends, the company focused on building devices that athletes would actually use\u2014products designed for repetition, wear-and-tear, and measurable outcomes. \u201cIf something breaks down or doesn\u2019t deliver consistent results, pro teams won\u2019t touch it,\u201d Carden says.<\/p>\n That philosophy laid the groundwork for what came next: entering one of the most skeptical, data-driven environments in sports.<\/p>\n The LA Chargers train with Helios on-site, an important part of their recovery room. Trusted by the pros for deep recovery, year-round performance, and next-level resilience.<\/p>\n \u266c original sound \u2013 Solbasium<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n Breaking into the NFL wasn\u2019t a strategy\u2014it was an uphill battle. Early outreach was met with silence or polite dismissal. \u201cYou could give it to them for free and they still wouldn\u2019t respond,\u201d Carden recalls. The breakthrough came unexpectedly, via a website inquiry from the Los Angeles Chargers. Carden initially assumed it was a prank. It wasn\u2019t. The Chargers tested Solbasium\u2019s Helios red-light bed, and feedback from players and staff quickly followed.<\/p>\n Then came the moment that changed everything.<\/p>\n \u201cKhalil Mack reached out to us directly,\u201d Carden says. \u201cHe told us he healed significantly faster\u2014weeks ahead of schedule\u2014and credited the bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Soon after, Mack was shown on a CBS broadcast using Solbasium\u2019s technology.\u201c Seeing that on live TV was surreal,\u201d Carden says. \u201cBut more importantly, it validated that this worked at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n From there, adoption accelerated. Today, several NFL teams are actively trialing Solbasium products, and red-light therapy in some form is now commonplace across league facilities.<\/p>\n Validation at the professional level was one thing. Translating that proof into daily training environments required a different kind of expertise. That bridge came in the form of Gunnar Peterson, whose decades-long career training elite athletes\u2014from NBA champions to Hollywood\u2019s most physically demanding roles\u2014has given him a rare understanding of how recovery actually fits into performance.<\/p>\n For Solbasium, Peterson\u2019s involvement isn\u2019t about endorsement; it\u2019s about application. His insight into how athletes train, break down, and rebuild informs how the technology is designed, used, and refined. \u201cGunnar has seen everything\u2014injuries, plateaus, mistakes,\u201d Cardon says. \u201cHe understands what athletes feel day to day, and that perspective directly shapes how we build.\u201d<\/p>\n As red-light therapy moves into the mainstream, Solbasium\u2019s advantage lies in what Carden calls \u201cleading, not following.\u201d A majority of the company\u2019s revenue is reinvested into research and development, resulting in innovations like integrating pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy<\/a> directly into red-light beds.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy make athletes jump between devices?\u201d Carden asks. \u201cNobody wants that.\u201d<\/p>\n The company\u2019s work is guided by a belief shared across elite sport: championships are often decided by fractions. \u201cA 0.5% improvement can be the difference between winning and losing,\u201d Carden says. \u201cRed-light therapy isn\u2019t magic\u2014but it gives athletes a competitive edge. That story matters because those small margins are everything in elite sport.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Carden sees recovery technology entering an era once reserved for science fiction. \u201cThere are patents and lab discoveries from decades ago that never made it to market because there wasn\u2019t demand,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s changing now.\u201d<\/p>\n For athletes, his advice is simple: stack recovery. \u201cRed light, PEMF, massage, hyperbaric oxygen\u2014when you combine them, the results compound.\u201d<\/p>\n In a performance landscape where margins define legacies, recovery is no longer optional. And for Carden, what began as skepticism has evolved into something far more consequential: a system designed to keep athletes available, resilient, and just a little bit faster than the competition.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nForged By Failure<\/h2>\n
The Recovery Gap No One Was Addressing<\/h2>\n
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Earning Trust in the NFL, One Proof Point at a Time<\/h2>\n
Innovation at the Margins\u2014and the Future of Performance<\/h2>\n