Laser Therapy: What it is, how it works and how it will help you.

What is laser therapy?

Laser therapy is a solution for patients suffering from acute and chronic pain, inflammation, neuropathies, various movement challenges, and reducing scar tissue formation post surgery. The number of physicians exploring this treatment is expected to increase by 13% over the next four years. Unlike surgical lasers that destroy tissue with beam collimation, therapeutic lasers use beam divergence to bio-stimulate injured and dysfunctional tissue. Clinical studies have shown positive outcomes from laser therapy.

How do therapeutic lasers work?

When the laser is placed against the skin, photon energy particles are emitted and directed at photoreceptors in the cell. This stimulates cellular activity, specifically changes in the mitochondria, resulting in a cascade of events such as DNA restructuring, increased oxygenation and blood flow, all resulting in ATP production.

By penetrating deep into the body’s soft tissue with natural light energy, the body is able to heal itself by stimulating cell growth, improving cell regeneration, invoking anti-inflammatory responses, reducing fibrous tissue formation, and stimulating nerve function.

“Based on our experience in our pain clinic, the laser has been very effective in healing many different types of pain,” said Ernest Khoury, MD, Metro Pain Laser owner. “It is also a useful adjunct to the traditional modalities of pain relief.”
 

What can laser therapy treat?

Laser therapy prevents edema, resulting in reduced swelling caused by bruising or inflammation. It decreases nerve sensitivity by blocking pain signals transmitted to the brain. Photons of light from lasers penetrate deeply into tissue and accelerate cellular reproduction and growth. Laser light will significantly increase the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue. This speeds up healing, closes wounds quickly and reduces scar tissue.

Laser therapy also increases metabolic activity in patients by increasing production of specific enzymes. It also stimulates trigger and acupuncture points,  providing non-invasive musculoskeletal pain relief. The treatment reduces the formation of scar tissue following tissue damage from cuts, scratches, burns or surgery. Laser therapy will improve nerve function in patients experiencing numbness and in impaired limbs from damaged tissue. Laser light has a direct effect on boosting immunity by stimulation of immunoglobins and lymphocytes. Faster wound healing is often a result of laser therapy as laser light stimulates fibroblast development in damaged tissue.

“I recently had meniscus removal surgery. After two days of treatments, my experience with laser therapy was excellent,” said professional baseball player Tony Wolters. “My knee is stronger, and overall I am doing a lot better. It works! It gave me a lot more confidence in what I am able to do. I am definitely going to continue using this product throughout my career.”