LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A former college football player says years of head trauma left him struggling with serious neurological symptoms as he got older.
He is now sharing his story and advocating for a treatment that uses a red light therapy helmet.
Rico Petrini, a four-year Oregon State football starter, says he suffered thousands of head impacts.
“I experienced over 15,000 what we call sub-concussive hits or tackles. And then I had 25-plus concussions, three hospitalized. So unfortunately, you know, there was a cost to my playing,” Petrini said.
Years later, in his 40s, he says his health took a turn.
“March of 2021, in particular, I just had like a systemic crash. And it was over 50 symptoms. It was mood, it was behavior, it was sleep, it was physical, and it was cognitive. I was having, you know, Parkinson’s type tremors. My sleep was horrible,” Petrini said.
Joining a university study on light therapy
After searching for answers, Petrini joined a years-long University of Utah study examining photobiomodulation, a therapy using red and near-infrared light.
“You see the results. Um, within two weeks of me wearing it, um, I was actually in the shower and my wife at the time said, you know, I think this thing’s working. I’m like, what do you mean? She goes, well, you’re, you’re singing in the shower,” Petrini said.
Study finds reductions in brain inflammation
Published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, a new study found the Vielight red light therapy helmets, tested by college football players, led to reductions in brain inflammation during the season.
Vielight founder Dr. Lew Lim says the device delivers light through the skull and nose, reaching inside the whole brain.
“What it does first is release a molecule called nitric oxide back into the body, which helps with blood circulation. Nitric oxide does that. It releases the blood; it relaxes the blood vessels,” Dr. Lim said.
“That boosts the energy and helps the whole body to function better. How this can repair damaged tissues is through the release of growth factors,” he said.
Not yet FDA-approved for brain injury
Researchers are studying the technology’s potential for traumatic brain injury, but it is not FDA-approved for that condition.
For Petrini, it’s a tool giving others hope.
“I’ve had people come to me in that same dark place, and they reach out, and they’re like, I don’t think I can be here. And you know, they, they’ve gotten ahold of the light set, and it’s changed their life,” Petrini said.
The Vielight device, which costs about $2,000, is generally not covered by health insurance.
That’s because it is classified as a general wellness product rather than an FDA-cleared medical device.
Dr. Lim says he is working on getting FDA approval.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
