What Does Low Level Laser Therapy Treat
Low level laser therapy can treat almost any acute or chronic pain to include nerve pain. It can speed healing from surgery, injury, broken bones, tendon or ligament injuries and wounds. It can decrease inflammation in the digestive system and thereby improve immunity. It can improve vagus nerve function and help any condition involving the vagus nerve. Low level laser therapy has also been shown to be effective on the brain. It improves headaches, migraines, depression, anxiety, Parkinson’s disease, balance problems (especially in seniors) and traumatic brain injury healing. Other conditions where it has been shown to be effective are fibromyalgia, autism, Crone’s disease, autoimmune diseases, etc.
How Does It Work
Low Level Laser Therapy works on the cellular level to repair damage done by injury, surgery, inflammation, or heavy medication use. The laser light penetrates the skin and is absorbed by receptors of the mitochondria of an injured area’s cells. Stimulating this receptor promotes a biochemical reaction causing growth factor and protein synthesis. This increases the cell’s ATP and increases the area’s blood flow and oxygen levels to increase and promote healing in the area treated. The laser emits specific parameters of light that stimulate these receptors.
The laser we have has been FDA cleared, researched and clinically proven. There are no harmful side effects and no downtime needed during treatment. If you are looking for a non-invasive, drug free option in the treatment of pain, ask us about laser treatment.
We have found that Low Level Laser Therapy works very well in combination with acupuncture treatment and can improve results by 30% to 50%.
This therapy is low in cost and very affordable. Please see our prices page for more information.
Research
Clinical studies and trials of laser therapy technology indicate the following top 10 beneficial effects of Low Level Laser Therapy.
- Anti-Inflammation. Low Level Laser therapy creates an anti-edema effect by dilating blood vessels and activating the lymphatic drainage system (which drains swollen areas). This reduces swelling caused by trauma or inflammation.
- Anti-Pain (Analgesic). Low Level Laser therapy exerts a very beneficial effect on pain in multiple ways. It partially blocks neural transmission of pain signals to the brain. It decreases nerve sensitivity. Laser light also lessens pain by reducing edema. A fourth pain-blocking mechanism involves the production of high levels of pain- killing chemicals such as endorphins, enkephalins and opioids from the brain and adrenal gland.
- Accelerated Tissue Repair and Cell Growth. Photons of light from lasers penetrate deeply into tissues and accelerate cellular reproduction and growth. The laser light also increases the energy available to the cell by increasing ATP production so that the cell can take on nutrients faster and get rid of waste products. As a result of exposure to laser light, all cells, including the cells of tendons, ligaments and muscles are repaired faster.
- Improved Vascular Activity. Low Level Laser Therapy significantly increases the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue, which speeds up the healing process, closes wounds more quickly and reduces scarring. It also causes vasodilation, an increase in the diameter of blood vessels, which improves the delivery of blood and healing elements to damaged tissues.
- Increased Metabolic Activity. Low Level Laser Therapy stimulates higher outputs of specific pro-healing enzymes in blood cells, along with improved oxygen and nutrient delivery.
- Trigger Points and Acupuncture Points. Low Level Laser Therapy stimulates muscle trigger points and acupuncture points on a non-invasive basis, providing musculoskeletal pain relief.
- Reduced Fibrous Tissue Formation. Low Level Laser Therapy reduces the formation of scar tissue following tissues damaged from cuts, scratches, burns or surgery.
- Improved Nerve Function. Slow recovery of nerves in damaged tissue and result in impaired sensory and motor function. Low Level Laser Therapy speeds up the process of axonal regeneration and nerve cell reconnection and increases the amplitude of action potentials to optimize nerve and muscle action.
- Immunoregulation. Low Level Laser Therapy directly affects immunity status by stimulating the production of immunoglobulins and lymphocytes and by improving the ease of penetration of white blood cells into damaged tissue.
- Faster Wound Healing. Low Level Laser Therapy stimulates fibroblast development (fibroblasts are the building blocks of collagen, which is predominant in wound healing in damaged tissue). Collagen is the essential protein required to replace old tissue or repair tissue injuries. As a result, Low Level Laser Therapy is effective on open wounds and burns.
To see current studies that have been done on how low level laser works for pain, please see the Erchonia website at https://www.erchonia.com/research-articles/
What to expect
In general 6-12 treatments are necessary to begin the healing process of tissue, although in some cases relief can begin immediately and can be felt within 5-10 minutes of treatment. Your practitioner can recommend the best amount of treatment and frequency for you. In general for acute cases we recommend at least 6 treatments, 2 treatments per week. For more chronic conditions we recommend at least 12 treatments, 2 treatments per week. An initial session lasts 30 minutes, follow-up sessions are 15 minutes.