If you’ve sustained an injury that results in inflammation and pain and pain, it may be beneficial consulting with a medical expert, such as chiropractor or physical therapist to aid in your recovery. Your therapist could employ different methods to reduce the pain and increase the flow of blood to tissues that are inflamed. One of these treatments is the cold laser treatment. It is referred to as laser low-level therapy (LLLT).
This article can help you to understand what cold laser therapy actually is, and also how it could be utilized to to treat injuries. The article will also discuss the research that has been conducted on cold laser therapy to help decide if this is something you should be considering to treat your particular injury.
What is Cold Laser Therapy?
It is kind of treatment that uses low-intensity light is injected into your body, mostly over inflamed or injured tissue. The light of low intensity, often called “cold laser” is believed to increase blood flow and lessen inflammation and pain to tissue that has been injured.
The cold laser therapy shouldn’t be mistaken for high-intensity lasers that surgeons may employ to cut tissue. The light-emitting diodes used in cold laser therapy aren’t strong enough to cut through tissues, but they’re powerful enough to penetrate the skin and encourage healing following injuries.
How Does Cold Laser Therapy Work?
Cold laser therapy employs light photons which are delivered to the skin using the help of a wand that has numerous diodes emitting light. Once the photons are introduced to the skin and travel through damaged tissues, chemical modifications to the mitochondria of cells are triggered, prompting that they are able to boost the production of Adenosine Triphosphate. It is believed that this will cause positive healing of the tissues.
Not every laser will be effective for the healing process to take place. Laser therapy at low levels, usually with a 600- or 1,000-nanometer wavelength, is the most effective way to boost the flow of blood and speed up the healing process of tissues that have been injured.
Different types of conditions treated by Cold Therapy
Your physician may suggest cold laser therapy to treat range of ailments. It could be used to treat however, they are not only:
Arthritis
Tendonitis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Ligament sprains
Muscle tension
Joint pain
Fibromyalgia pain
A frozen shoulder
Bursitis
Burns and injuries to soft tissues
Any soft tissue injury that results in discomfort or inflammation within your body can be helped by cold laser therapy with the Safe Laser 500.
Pros and Cons Cold Laser Therapy
If you decide to undergo cold laser therapy to treat the injury you have suffered, your physician should be able to explain the purpose of the therapy. They should also discuss with you the anticipated benefits and the risks that come with the cold-laser therapy.
The benefits of cold-laser therapy include:
The treatment isn’t non-invasive.
The procedure is generally not painful.
The use of cold lasers can aid in the healing of your injury.
The risks of the cold laser treatment are not significant However, you must be aware of these risks. Some of the disadvantages to having the procedure performed could include:
It is possible that you will require several techniques to see positive outcomes.
The cost of treatment can be high If you have insurance plan does not pay for the treatment.
Certain studies suggest the cold-laser treatments are not more effective than placebo (treatment without benefit for therapy) for injuries to the musculoskeletal system.
Be realistic about your expectations for the cold laser treatment for your injury will help you make an informed choice regarding whether you should undergo the procedure or not.
What to Expect
Should you as well as your medical professional decide to utilize cold laser therapy to treat your injury, it is helpful to be aware of what you can expect during the procedure. When using cold laser therapy the body part that is affected will be exposed. both you and your health care provider could wear specific goggles to protect your eyes during treatment.
A tiny handheld device that emits light will be placed on the skin and placed in position for a couple of minutes. The illumination will be applied to the skin and the site of injury for 30 to 60 minutes.
Is It A Painful Experience?
It is not recommended to feel discomfort during the treatment, and there is no heating generated by the laser. If you experience symptoms or pain, consult your physician, who could require you to move your body, or stop the treatment.
Following treatments, it is recommended that you not experience pain or discomfort.
A lot of healthcare professionals will recommend that you practice gentle exercises for your specific condition in order to improve your range of motion (capability of joints to perform many different motions) and the strength of your body part. Remember that low-level laser therapy must be component of your overall rehabilitation experience. Research suggests exercises and movements for a variety of muscle and skeletal injuries.
Effectiveness
If you are considering treatments with cold lasers be sure to be aware of the research behind the treatment. There are some studies that support the treatment with low-level lasers to treat neck pain, back tension and tendonitis.
A meta-analysis from 2015 (examining the results of a vast variety of studies independently) discovered that treatments using cold lasers can be beneficial to relief of pain for people suffering from lower back pain. However, the studies did not reveal an increase in functional movements however.
Another meta-analysis showed joint pain can be reduced by the treatment with cold lasers. However, there was no evidence observed in improving the overall functioning of patients who received the treatment.
If you suffer from tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon that connects bone and muscle) or the tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon as well as the sheath that surrounds it) Your healthcare provider might suggest laser therapy to treat you.
A 2021 meta-analysis on the use of cold laser therapy to treat tendinopathy revealed that “there is a low-to-moderate-quality evidence that shows the fact that the process of photobiomodulation (cold laser) is effective as an alternative or standalone treatment for tendinopathy diseases.”
Bottom Line
There’s a variety of research that suggests cold laser therapy could be effective in relieving pain under certain conditions. But, it isn’t likely to help in improving the performance in musculoskeletal disorders. (And it is possible that the placebo effect is in play in some studies. Perhaps the improvement in pain was discovered due to the patient receiving any kind of treatment for their condition.)
Discuss your concerns with your doctor prior to beginning any cold laser treatments to treat your specific condition.
Can Cold Laser Therapy Work?
There is evidence to suggest the cold-laser therapy can help alleviate pain, but improvement in functional mobility is not usually seen with the use of cold lasers as a stand-alone treatment.
Summary
If you’re suffering from limitations in motion or pain because of a soft tissue tendon, joint, or injury, you might get help from physical therapists to return to your normal activities. The therapist can employ various treatments, and one of them could be the cold-laser therapy.
The cold laser treatment, commonly referred to by the name low-level light therapy is a treatment method utilized to speed up healing and circulation to tissues that are injured. It is an easy procedure and can be performed as part of a complete rehabilitation program that includes the exercise of functional mobility and.
The cold laser treatment is a painless treatment that involves the application of light at specific wavelengths into damaged tissues. The light causes an effect called photobiomodulation, which increases the flow of blood and speeding up cellular processes that aid in healing. If you’re injured, consult your doctor about whether the treatment with cold lasers is suitable for you.
