Currently, attempts to treat experimental spinal cord injury (SCI) using light therapy involve the use of diffusion tip catheters, optic fibre cables or handheld devices. However, efficacy can be affected by dislodgment and/or infection, both leading to variable dosage absorbed at the injury site. These approaches also require restraint or anaesthesia during every treatment session which can lead to animal stress and may impact functional recovery. To address these issues, we have developed a novel, wirelessly powered, hermetically sealed LED implant (6 x12 mm) positioned directly above the lesion in our rat thoracic (T10) SCI model. This allows animals to move freely during treatment, which promotes exercise induced benefits, and has the capability of being upscaled to a mobile device for human application. In our pilot study, under anaesthesia the device was sutured in place over the thoracic spinal cord after a laminectomy. The implants did not impair locomotion (no change in BBB scores or ladder-walk accuracy). After two months, rats were perfused and implants were found still to be positioned in line with the vertebral column. The morphology of the underlying spinal cords (Toluidine blue-stained sections) appeared normal. IBA-1 immunostaining revealed low-level reactive changes in the phenotype of microglia but there was no evidence of altered astrocytic phenotype (GFAP immunoreactivity). In short, our novel hermetically sealed implants did not significantly impact locomotion, did not result in dislodgment, infection, or elicit a significant inflammatory response, and therefore form the basis of a first line, minimally invasive therapy for SCI repair.