{"id":3498,"date":"2012-07-20T18:12:40","date_gmt":"2012-07-21T06:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dfwchiromassage.com\/blog"},"modified":"2015-07-25T17:00:06","modified_gmt":"2015-07-26T05:00:06","slug":"cold-laser","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dfwchiromassage.com\/blog\/cold-laser\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold Laser"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Healing Power of LASERs<\/strong><\/h1>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Laser therapy has been successfully used around the world for over 25 years, with no reported long-term or irreversible side effects.<\/p>\n

What is LLLT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LLLT (Low lever laser therapy) is a painless, sterile, non-invasive, drug-free treatment which is used to treat a variety of pain syndromes, injuries, wounds, fractures, neurological conditions and pathologies.\u00a0 Laser therapy can be used any time a patient requests or needs a drug-less procedure for the control of pain, when conventional therapies have been ineffective, or when the acceleration of healing from injuries is desired.<\/p>\n

Around the world, laser therapy is rapidly becoming a medical therapy that can heal wounds and fractures up to 60% faster and also reduce the cost of treatment for many conditions.\u00a0 In the UK, LLLT has become the treatment of choice for soft tissue \u201cwhiplash\u201d injuries and for the treatment of painful post-herpetic neuralgia (shingles pain).<\/p>\n

How does laser light heal?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Healing with the use of light is not new.\u00a0 Light therapy was reported to be effective for many conditions by Hippocrates.\u00a0 With the development of the laser and its special properties, using light as a treatment has gained more popularity.\u00a0 This is because we can now use specific wavelengths of light and give accurately measured doses of energy directly to the appropriate treatment site, which was not possible with other light sources.<\/p>\n

Low level lasers supply energy to the body in the form of non-thermal photons of light.\u00a0 Light is transmitted through the skin\u2019s layer (the dermis, epidermis and the subcutaneous tissue or tissue fat under the skin) at all wavelengths in the visible range.\u00a0 However, light waves in the near infrared ranges penetrate the deepest of all light waves in the visible spectrum.\u00a0 When low level laser light waves penetrate deeply into the skin, they optimize the immune responses of our blood.\u00a0 This has both anti-inflammatory and immunostimulate effects.\u00a0 It is a scientific fact that light transmitted to the blood in this way has positive effects throughout the whole body, supplying vital oxygen and energy to every cell.<\/p>\n

What to expect during a laser therapy treatment session<\/strong><\/p>\n

For most people, laser therapy is quite passive.\u00a0 There are no pulsating shocks felt, as in forms of electronic stimulation, nor heat used as with ultrasounds.\u00a0 The most noticeable sensation is the touch of the probe head of the laser, as it comes in contact with the skin.<\/p>\n

Some patients (3-5% of those undergoing light therapy) have reported a slight tingling or tapping in a nerve or along a nerve pathway.\u00a0 Some have noted that they are able to sense a slight feeling of warmth.\u00a0 But for the most part, the treatment, which may last from 2 to 20 minutes, is not noticed at all.<\/p>\n

Following (and even during) a laser therapy session, approximately 75-80% of patients being treated can notice an immediate improvement in their condition.\u00a0 This will depend primarily on the type of condition and the length of time the condition has been present.<\/p>\n

Generally, the more chronic or severe the condition, the longer it takes to respond.\u00a0 The majority of conditions treated will take anywhere from 4-5 or 10-18 treatments.\u00a0 Once again, the number of treatments depends upon the severity of the condition and its duration.\u00a0 If your condition does not change immediately, it may take 3-4 sessions before a dramatic or marked change is perceived.<\/p>\n

Difference between lasers, LED, & SLD light devices<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some manufacturers produce devices with super luminous diodes (SLD) or light emitting diodes (LED).\u00a0 Monochromatic non-coherent light can be helpful for superficial wound healing, however, numerous studies have shown that lasers are far more effective due to their unique properties and penetration depth.\u00a0 Many super luminous & light emitting diode products are usually very low powered (typically 5 mW – 15 mW), and much of this energy is scattered, therefore requiring longer treatment times.<\/p>\n

See the chart to see how typical light penetrates the skin.\u00a0 LED\u2019s will normally penetrate less than 1 cm.\u00a0 SLD\u2019s are more powerful and can penetrate about 2.5 cm.\u00a0 But lasers at 830 nm can penetrate 5 cm.\u00a0 Far more effective than SLD\u2019s and LED\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The physiological effects of LLLT<\/strong><\/p>\n