Laser Therapy

The use of low level, or cold laser therapy is now established in speeding tissue repair. Laser treatment involves treating the injured tissues with laser light which emits photon energy. Unlike those used in surgery or industry which are high powered and produce heat, laser treatment used in physical medicine are low powered, (1-20mW), and non-thermal.

Whilst getting cold laser treatment there is no discomfort and lasts normally for between 2-5 minutes, or longer in certain instances depending on wether the problem is acute or chronic in nature.

Laser works by the cells absorbing the light emissions and using this energy for repair and recuperation. The reported clinical effects of laser light biostimulation include marked improvement in wound healing, nerve repair, musculoskeletal pain and numerous inflammatory processes. These include various tendinopathies, neuropathic pain, carpal tunnel, diabetic neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, facial neuralgia and joint arthropathy, (osteoarthritis).

Low doses are given to stimulate for chronic repair conditions, whereas higher doses are given for inhibition, when tissues are painful or inflamed.

Occasionally there is a mild, short term aggravation of the symptoms after the treatment, due to the bodies own healing response. There are also certain prescriptive medications, mainly steroids that reduce the effectiveness of treatment. These drugs inhibit immune response and as a result reduce the effectiveness of laser on the tissues.