Method for treating a patient having a spinal cord injury using phototherapy

1. A method of treating a patient having a spinal cord injury comprising a contusion or compression, the method comprising:

identifying a target site of the contusion or compression within a spinal environment of the patient;

positioning a light source at a position between 2 cm and 20 cm from the skin surface overlying the target site; and

modulating at least one physiological activity of the patient by transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient at the position with light from the light source, the light having a power density of at least 0.01 mW/cm 2 at the portion of the spinal environment, wherein the spinal environment comprises the spinal cord, the spinal vasculature, the meninges, and the cerebrospinal fluid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light has a wavelength in a range between 580 nanometers and 850 nanometers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to promote axonal regeneration.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to modulate immunological activity.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to reduce Wallerian degeneration.

6. A method of treating a patient having a spinal cord injury comprising a contusion or compression, the method comprising:

identifying a location of the contusion or compression within a spinal environment of the patient;

positioning a light source at a first position on the skin surface overlying the location;

transcutaneously delivering a neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy to the location using the light source at the first position, wherein the neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy has a power density of at least 0.01 mW/cm 2 ;

positioning the light source at a second position on the skin surface that is between 2 cm and 20 cm caudal to the first position; and

transcutaneously delivering a neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy to a portion of the spinal cord using the light source at the second position, wherein the portion of the spinal cord is caudal to the location along a linear path of expected axonal regrowth.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy has a wavelength in a range between 630 nanometers and 904 nanometers.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein transcutaneously delivering a neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy to the location comprises determining a surface power density of the light energy at a skin surface sufficient to deliver light energy having a power density of at least about 0.01 mW/cm 2 to the location.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to modulate gene expression.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to modulate Schwann cell activity.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to modulate the blood-brain barrier.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to modulate neovascularization.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to modulate astroglial scar formation.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of the spinal environment of the patient is sufficient to modulate growth factor production with respect to the spinal cord.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light has a wavelength in a range between about 770 nanometers and 820 nanometers.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of a spinal environment of the patient with light having a power density of at least 0.01 mW/cm 2 at the portion of the spinal environment for about 7 to 21 consecutive days.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of a spinal environment of the patient with light having a power density of at least 0.01 mW/cm 2 at the portion of the spinal environment within 24 hours after the spinal cord injury occurs.

18. The method of claim 6 , wherein the neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy has a power density of at least 0.1 mW/cm 2 .

19. The method of claim 6 , wherein the light has a wavelength in a range between 770 nanometers and 820 nanometers.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning a light source between 2 cm and 20 cm from the skin surface overlying the target site comprises positioning the light source between 2 cm and about 20 cm caudal from the skin surface overlying the target site so as to irradiate a portion of the spinal cord caudal to the target site along a path of expected axonal regrowth.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning a light source between 2 cm and 20 cm from the skin surface overlying the target site comprises positioning the light source between 2 cm and about 20 cm rostral from the skin surface overlying the target site so as to irradiate a portion of the spinal cord rostral to the target site along a path of expected axonal regrowth.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning a light source between 2 cm and 20 cm from the skin surface overlying the target site comprises:

positioning the light source at a first position between 2 cm and about 20 cm caudal from the skin surface overlying the target site and irradiating a first portion of the spinal environment on a path of expected axonal regrowth; and

positioning the light source at a second position between 2 cm and 20 cm caudal from the skin surface overlying the target site and irradiating a second portion of the spinal environment on the path of expected axonal regrowth.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein positioning a light source between 2 cm and 20 cm from the skin surface overlying the target site further comprises positioning the light source at a third position between 2 cm and 20 cm rostral from the skin surface overlying the target site and irradiating a third portion of the spinal environment.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning a light source between 2 cm and 20 cm from the skin surface overlying the target site comprises positioning the light source at a plurality of positions along a linear path of expected axonal regrowth and irradiating the spinal environment from the multiple positions, each successive position being at a distance caudal to the previous position.

25. The method of claim 6 , wherein the spinal cord injury comprises a contusion and wherein the identified location of the spinal cord injury is a location of the contusion.