5 Things You Should Know About Deep Tissue Laser Therapy&#;

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Clinicians are using laser therapy more often than ever before to help reduce pain and inflammation related to many common conditions.

Thousands of doctors and patients have experienced the power of laser therapy and are familiar with its therapeutic effects, but for those who aren&#;t, here are 5 things everyone should know about it:

1. It reduces pain and inflammation without side effects
Laser therapy uses a process called photobiomodulation. Photons enter the tissue and interact with the cytochrome c complex within mitochondria. This interaction triggers a biological cascade of events that leads to an increase in cellular metabolism and a decrease in both pain and inflammation. Unlike medications, laser therapy reduces pain without undesirable side effects.

It is also important to point out that patients report long-lasting pain relief. While the number of treatments required may vary depending on the acuity of the condition, many patients experience lasting relief after only a couple treatments.

2. Can be used for acute and chronic conditions
When treating acute conditions with laser therapy, it is particularly effective when it is administered as soon as possible following injury (assuming there is no active hemorrhaging). The faster the inflammation is reduced and the healing process can begin, the better. In the case of acute injury, laser therapy helps restore the body to normal function quicker.

With chronic conditions, laser therapy is used most often to help combat persistent pain and inflammation. The new LightForce 40 watt XLi therapy laser is being used by clinicians to quickly reduce inflammation in patients suffering from chronic pain. This therapy laser is especially well-suited for treating chronic conditions because it enables clinicians to treat a wider area of interest while still delivering therapeutically relevant dosages.

3. Treatments can be customized for each situation
Lasers that have larger power ranges offer versatile treatment options. A laser that can be set to operate from 0.5 W all the way up to 25 W, allows the clinician flexibility to treat low and slow or at maximum output.

The availability of multiple treatment heads offers additional flexibility for the clinician. The LightForce Empower&#; Delivery System, for example, features 5 different treatment heads, each designed to facilitate optimal delivery in different scenarios. It is important to have several delivery options to ensure the delivery method is appropriately matched to the situation. For instance, when treating over bony prominences, an off-contact treatment method is advisable. However, when treating deep-tissue structures, such as a hamstring, an on-contact massage ball attachment is best to reduce reflection and scattering, and also encourage deeper penetration by displacing excess fluids. Different sized treatment heads can also be advantageous for administering treatments that require varying levels of precision.

Advanced software is another tool that helps with treatment customization. Influence Technology&#; allows clinicians to build custom treatments by selecting body region, condition, and specific patient characteristics. Touchscreens and intuitive selection processes make delivering the right dose easy. For even more customization, clinicians can also formulate their own protocols by entering a couple key components with LightForce&#;s newest software feature, Perfect Protocol&#;.

4. Treatments Feel Good
One common question related to laser therapy is, &#;What does it feel like?&#; Depending on the laser, it can create little to no sensation or it can create a gentle, soothing warmth. Many patients receiving LightForce Therapy Laser treatments report enjoying the experience, especially when a massage-ball treatment head is used to deliver what is often referred to as a &#;laser massage.&#;

Patients receiving treatments with higher-power lasers also frequently report a rapid decrease in pain. For someone suffering from chronic pain, this effect can be particularly pronounced. Laser therapy for pain can feel good.

5. Treatments Are Fast
With LightForce lasers, treatments are quick, usually 5-10 minutes depending on the size, depth, and acuteness of the condition being treated. High-power lasers are able to deliver a lot of energy in a small amount of time, so therapeutic dosages are achieved quickly. For people with packed schedules, patients and clinicians alike, fast and effective treatments are a must.

Read more about lasers for chiropractors and chiropractic laser therapy.

 

References

Hamblin MR, Demidova TN. &#;Mechanisms of low level light therapy.&#; Proc. of SPIE Photonics. ; : -01-12. doi: 10./12. Kingsley JD, Demchak T, Mathis R. &#;Low-level laser therapy as a treatment for chronic pain.&#; Frontiers in Physiology. ; 5(306): 1-3. doi: 10./fphys..

If you recently received one of our Zerona-focused emails &#; or if you read something online about low-level laser light technology &#; you may be wondering about the health benefits of cold-laser technology.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), also known as cold laser therapy or photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, is a non-invasive, low-intensity light therapy that has been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to stimulate healing. In contrast to standard lasers often used in surgery to apply intense heat to make incisions, the light intensity in LLLT is too low to heat the body&#;s tissues.

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Specifically, the application of red and near infra-red light over injuries or lesions may improve wound and soft tissue healing, reduce inflammation, and relieve acute and chronic pain, especially musculoskeletal pain. Low-level laser therapy is also FDA approved as an alternative to liposuction for fat reduction and is now available at our office in Irvine through the use of our in-house Zerona Z6 Laser.

Potential Benefits of Low-Level Laser Therapy

Clinical trials and studies of low-level laser therapy suggest many beneficial effects, including:

1. Supports detoxification and removes fat that may stimulate weight loss: Low-level laser therapy liquifies the fatty content contained in fat cells and disrupts the membranes of these cells, inducing the formation of transitory pores that enable the liquified fat to seep out of the cells into spaces where the lymphatic system can begin to flush it from the body.

Here at Restoration Healthcare &#; an Irvine Functional Medicine practice &#; we use low-level laser therapy as part of a medically supervised detox, fat-reduction, and/or weight-loss protocol to reset the body&#;s metabolism for long-term health-related benefits. (For additional details, please read our previous post &#;Laser Fat Loss: Zerona Z6 Laser Delivers a Paleo Solution.&#;)

2. Alleviates pain (analgesic): Low-level laser therapy alleviates pain in the following ways:

• Partially blocks pain signals from nerves to the brain
• Decreases nerve sensitivity
• Reduces inflammation (see No. 3 below)
• Stimulates the production of high levels of pain-killing chemicals including endorphins, enkephalins, and opioids in the brain and adrenal glands
• Stimulates muscle trigger points and acupuncture points non-invasively to relax contracted muscle fibers

3. Reduces inflammation: Low-level laser therapy dilates blood vessels and activates the lymphatic system to drain swollen areas that are the result of trauma or inflammation.

4. Accelerates cell growth and tissue repair: Low-intensity light penetrates deep into tissues to accelerate cell reproduction and growth and increase energy availability to cells. It enhances cell metabolism by increasing adenosine triphosphate (ADP) production, which improves cell nutrition and waste elimination, which is especially effective in repairing tendons, ligaments, and muscles. It also stimulates fibroblast development in damaged tissue (fibroblasts are the building blocks of collage, the essential protein required to replace old tissue or repair tissue injuries), making LLLT especially helpful in treating burns and open wounds.

5. Enhances vascular activity: Low-level laser therapy speeds the healing process, closes wounds more quickly, and reduces scarring in two ways:

• Significantly increases the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue
• Dilates blood vessels (increases their diameter), thereby improving the flow of blood to damaged tissues

6. Increases metabolic activity: Low-level laser therapy stimulates higher outputs of specific pro-healing enzymes in blood cells, along with improved oxygen and nutrient delivery.

7. Reduces formation of scar tissue: Low-level laser therapy reduces the formation of fibrous (scar) tissue from cuts, scratches, burns, or surgery.

8. Enhances nerve regeneration and function: Low-level laser therapy speeds up the process of axonal regeneration and nerve cell reconnection.

9. Supports immune system function: Low-level laser therapy directly affects immune function by stimulating the production of immunoglobulins and lymphocytes and by improving the ease of penetration of white blood cells into damaged tissue.

10. Reduces reliance on medications: Low-level laser therapy is considered a safe, natural, and effective alternative therapy that may help reduce or eliminate the need for opioids and other analgesics, anti-inflammatories, and other medications that may have undesirable side effects.

Low Level Laser Therapy Uses

Low-level laser therapy has a wide range of applications, including the following:

• Detoxification, fat loss, and weight management: When used as a complimentary element of an integrative plan of care, low-level laser therapy &#; like the protocol now available here at Restoration Healthcare &#; may aid the body in eliminating excess fat that could be contributing to dysfunction or chronic illness.

As an added bonus, our in-house LLLT tool &#; the Zerona Z6 Laser &#; interacts with fat cells, resulting in liquifying fatty content contained within the cells, which aids in the detoxification process.

• Musculoskeletal injuries and pain: Sprains (muscles and ligaments), tendonitis, bursitis, tennis elbow, neck pain, lower back pain, knee pain, muscle spasms, joint swelling.
• Inflammation: Inflamed gums, carpal tunnel syndrome, and inflammation caused by autoimmune conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia).
• Skin rejuvenation: Acne, psoriasis, burns, vitiligo, dermatitis, rashes, edema (swelling).
• Wound healing: For wounds that resist treatment, such as those related to diabetes.
• Acupuncture: For patients who are uncomfortable with needles.

Low-level laser therapy should not be used on carcinomas or cancerous lesions and should be avoided in at-home use for treatment of the thyroid gland or eyes. Because its effect on unborn children is unknown, we recommend pregnant women avoid low-level laser therapy.

If you think you may benefit from low-level laser therapy, we encourage you to contact our Patient Service Specialist, Erin Sundberg, at (949) 535-, ext. 1, or Erin at erinsundberg at rhealthc dot com.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Laser Therapy For Patient Recovery.