Laser therapy is a non-invasive technique to reduce pain, reduce inflammation, and enhance tissue healing—both in hard and soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, or even bones. Laser therapy can be safely used as an adjunct or replacement for pharmaceutical drugs. This pain relief treatment is FDA cleared and enables patients to have an alternative to drugs and surgery. I would recommend have laser therapy before opting for surgery.
Information:
- Treatments last 5-15 minutes depending on the condition
- You may feel a soothing warmth during treatment
- Patients generally see results after 4 to 6 treatments but also depends on the condition
- Insurance does not typically cover laser treatment as of right now. Typically your doctor will develop a treatment plan with packages available.
Types of injuries that this kind of laser therapy can be helpful for include:
- Acute injuries, such as strains, sprains, and shoulder injuries
- Repetitive-use injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome
- Traumatic injuries, such as post-motor vehicle accident with cervical strain/sprain
- Chronic issues such as frozen shoulder and arthritis
More info:
- There are 4 classes of lasers
- I and II
- IIIa is your standard laser pointer
- IIIb and IV are typically what is referred to as laser therapy. IV has deeper depth of treatment and achieves the best results.
- What a treatment consists of
- Enhance the microcirculation to the area including increase in oxygenation from the arteries and an increase in venous and lymphatic return. Note this is the goal of the healing process, reducing this process by using ice and NSAIDs is counter-intuitive.
- Laser stimulates the cytochrome oxidase enzyme in the cells’ mitochondria. This helps to produce more ATP for the cell and can increase healing times.
Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/28/k-laser-benefits.aspx
http://healthfitchiro.com/laser-therapy/