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Cold laser therapy for pain treatment
What can you do when an injury just won’t respond to traditional therapies? When pills, physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, nor surgeries have resolved your complaint, an advanced therapeutic approach known as cold laser therapy may be the answer. In contrast, some of the earliest lasers were applied in the fields of ophthalmology and dermatology, based on their ability to generate intense localized heat.
Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A laser generates a highly concentrated beam of light (photons) that can travel without spreading and maintain the same concentration of energy. There are many types of lasers, from industrial lasers that cut and surgical lasers that can both cut and mend. Albert Einstein first theorized the physics of laser but it was not until the 1960s that lasers became tools of healing. Hungarian scientist Endre Mester reported improved wound healing with the application of Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT).
The two common questions about laser therapy are: Do all lasers burn? And what type of complaints will benefit from LILT? The answers: Low Intensity Laser Therapy does not create heat within the tissues being treated nor does it cause pain or tissue damage. LILT is definitely not a cure-all but I have been impressed with the many soft tissue complaints that have shown clinical improvement and the resolution of both acute and chronic pain.
When a low intensity laser is applied to the skin, photons painlessly penetrate deep into the affected tissues, where they interact with cellular structures. This interaction induces a cascade of therapeutic reactions. These activations stimulate the production of new proteins, cartilage, and tendon tissue, which assist the body in its natural healing and repair process. Results often include rapid tissue healing, reduced inflammation, reduced scar tissue formation and resolution of pain.
LILT can treat a variety of conditions ranging from acute sports injuries to chronic long-term conditions. A consultation with a clinical laser therapist will determine if your condition will respond to treatment. Conditions routinely treated include back and neck pain, heel pain (plantar fasciitis), golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, osteoarthritis, Achilles tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, sciatica and wounds and ulcers.
LILT is a safe and non-invasive form of therapy. Literature has reported no known significant side affects associated with its application. There are precautions to be taken when determining if a patient is a candidate for LILT. These include treating close to the eye, other types of cancers known, over the abdomen of pregnant woman and over the endocrine glands such as the thyroid and pancreas.
You may know how both acute and chronic pain can impact quality of life. Pain can limit mobility and an active lifestyle. Without activity and exercise our bodies are susceptible to many health issues. Laser therapy can help you regain the active lifestyle you deserve by restoring mobility and reducing pain. This can be achieved with the rapid, safe, drugless, and pain free procedures offered with LILT.
