Injuries and Conditions You Can Treat with Laser Therapy for Pain
Bio Flex Laser Therapy is a form of low level laser therapy for pain or cold laser therapy for pain, which can be used to treat and heal a number of conditions across the human body. The process uses an entirely biological process to initiate healing at a cellular level in your body.
As a result of this entirely biological healing process, you don’t feel any signs of discomfort or any side effects across your body. The process is simple to follow and will help you benefit from a quickened healing process.
What Is Laser Therapy?
Laser therapy describes the use of bundled light radiation in medicine. It is now used in many specialist areas, for example in the treatment of eye and skin diseases. Read everything about the process of laser therapy, when it is used and what risks it entails.
Depending on the biological effect the laser beams are supposed to have on the tissue, the doctor changes the wavelength, intensity, pulse duration and pulse frequency of the laser.
A distinction is made between different procedures:
- Laser ablation (removal of tissue, for example in the case of a natal laser)
- Laser coagulation (thermally induced cell death)
- Laser epilation (permanent hair removal)
- Laser phototherapy
When do you perform laser therapy?
Laser therapy can be used both for the treatment of illnesses and the alleviation of complaints and for cosmetic reasons, such as scars or birthmarks.
Laser Therapy For Cosmetic Reasons
For aesthetic reasons, many patients have age spots or pigment spots lasered, for example. Other uses of laser therapy are:
- superficial, dilated, small vessels (telangiectasia)
- wrinkles
- unwanted hair growth
- Redness of the skin
- scar
- Birthmarks
- Lasik
Laser Therapy For Skin Diseases
Examples of medically justified laser treatments in dermatology are:
- Rosacea
- Fire marks
- Cysts
- Viral diseases (for example genital warts or Kaposi’s sarcomas in HIV)
- Malignant tumour diseases of the skin (for example basalioma)
- White callous disease (leucoplakia)
- Cornification disorders (keratosis)
- Warts
- Fungal nail diseases
- psoriasis
What do you do with laser therapy?
The processes of laser therapy for pain differ depending on the procedure:
Laser ablation
When removing tissue with a laser, the doctor uses either a so-called CO2 laser or an erbium: YAG laser, the beam of which is directed at the area to be treated. The uppermost cell layers absorb the high-energy light and the tissue evaporates. In this way, for example, warts can be lasered or scars can be lasered away.
Laser coagulation
Laser coagulation is mainly used in ophthalmology. The ophthalmologist uses the laser beams to generate heat in the tissue of the cornea or retina, which destroys the cells. Special cells of the immune system – so-called phagocytes – then remove the dead tissue and the wound heals.
Laser epilation
With laser hair removal, the doctor heats the hair root and the stem cell of the so-called hair bulge. To do this, he usually uses an infrared laser that penetrates up to five millimetres into the skin. The heating of the hair-forming cells leads to their permanent obliteration, and the hair can no longer grow back.
Laser phototherapy
The patient can be treated with laser phototherapy, especially for psoriasis and white spot disease. To do this, the doctor usually uses the so-called excimer laser, which emits UVB waves. He directs these high-dose beams specifically onto the affected skin areas. The neighboring healthy skin areas are spared.
What are the risks of laser therapy?
Laser therapy of the skin can lead to problems, especially with laser ablation, since the skin is injured by the ablation. The wound then serves, for example, as a gateway for germs and becomes infected. The treated area can also scar.
Special risks of laser therapy in ophthalmology are:
- Multiple laser therapy if the therapy is unsuccessful
- Impaired colour vision
- Poor eyesight at dusk or in the dark
- Narrow field of view
- Changes in intraocular pressure, possibly with follow-up treatment
- Black holes in the field of vision (scotomas)
What do I have to consider after laser therapy?
How you should behave after your laser therapy depends on the type and reason of the treatment.
Follow-up treatment is very important after laser surgery. It may take several weeks to complete. Your dermatologist or beautician will show you how to properly care for your skin.
You must not drive a vehicle for at least 24 hours after laser eye therapy. After three months at the latest, an ophthalmological check-up is recommended to check the success of the treatment. If you notice any symptoms or abnormalities after the treatment, it is advisable to consult your ophthalmologist at an early stage.
Laser Therapy For Back Pain
It is well known that back pain is a significant burden for those affected. Just like the fact that the treatment methods are as varied as the causes are different. In summary, it must be said that there is no secret recipe that can be universally applied to everyone.
Science has now found that one of the most common causes of so-called specific low back pain is a disorder in the small joints of the spine, the facet joints. In the past these were neglected in their importance, nowadays we know that they have to absorb the enormous forces that act on the spine.
For this reason, attempts were made to stabilize these joints for a long time, unfortunately still today in the context of stiffening operations. The result was long operations with dissatisfied patients.
Laser Therapy For Arthritis
Nowadays more and more patients want gentle alternative therapies. Experience with it is good, especially with accident-related, inflammatory or wear-related processes of the musculoskeletal system.
Olympic and national team doctors, for example, often rely on biological remedies. But also patients with circulatory disorders, such as dizziness or tinnitus, can be treated effectively naturopathically and usually without undesirable side effects.
How To Combat Joint Wear & Tear
Microcirculation therapy
With the help of microcirculation therapy, the blood flow and oxygen supply are improved in osteoarthritis patients. A great advantage is that alternative therapy methods are particularly safe and mostly well tolerated.
Conservative therapy
The aim of conservative therapy is to reduce and eliminate osteoarthritis pain and to delay the progression of osteoarthritis.
The non-drug therapy with physiotherapy (e.g. knee school), fitness training, cartilage regeneration (MBST, hyaluronic acid), diet change (possibly also useful food supplements), weight reduction, supply with orthopaedic aids, physical and physiotherapeutic treatment measures, magnetic field therapy, hyaluronic acid are of decisive importance here – Injections or cartilage-protecting food supplements.
In addition, there are already studies that show promising results when using laser therapy for pain.
Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
Soft laser therapy or low level laser therapy (LLLT) is one of the alternative therapy methods. Its aim is to positively influence disturbed biological processes. The laser light is introduced into the cells of the body in order to supply it with new energy.
In addition to improving cell metabolism, microcirculation and blood flow to the muscles should be promoted.
Benefits Of Laser Therapy
The laser light is said to have a pain-relieving effect in both acute and chronic disease states, and the light also has a decongestant effect.
Low-energy laser therapy (LLLT) can be used in orthopedics, especially for knee osteoarthritis of the hip or thumb. It is also helpful for shoulder and spine pain. Another advantage compared to taking painkillers is that there is no gastrointestinal bleeding to worry about.
The cardiovascular system is also not endangered by the laser treatment. There is no risk of infection, such as with a syringe, as laser therapy does not require a needle to be inserted.
The treatment is also painless and a treatment session only takes 10 to 20 minutes. The total number of sessions required depends on the severity and type of illness.
High Intensity Laser Therapy Side Effects
Laser therapy – what is behind it
Laser therapy for pain is a gentle treatment method for chronic and painful diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In the Centre for Orthopaedics Hamburg, a so-called soft laser or low-level laser is used with a stimulus strength that is below the human perception threshold.
Laser therapy for pain is therefore very gentle and gentle and represents a highly effective alternative to medical or surgical treatment.
Laser therapy – mode of action
Laser stands for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”. Translated, this means “light amplification through stimulated emission of radiation”.
In order to achieve this light amplification, light beams are bundled in a laser and are therefore more energetic. The laser penetrates skin and tissue layers and, similar to acupuncture, stimulates certain points on the body with stimuli.
Irradiation with bundled light activates the metabolic process in the cells, the tissue reacts and the cell wall structures change positively.
Laser therapy causes:
- Increase in metabolic activity
- Improve blood circulation
- Improve the immune system
- Reduction of tissue swelling
- Inhibition of inflammation
- Relief from pain
- Stimulation and acceleration of the healing process
- Attenuation of the sensation of pain
- Stabilization of scarring
Laser therapy – areas of application
- Tension in the muscles
- Inflammation of the tendons on the shoulder and elbow (tennis and golf elbow)
- Inflammation of the knee (kneecap, runner’s knee, shin splint syndrome) and the Achilles tendon
- Tendinitis
- Pulled muscles, torn muscle fibres
- Blunt injuries (bruises, bruises, strains)
- Nerve irritation / neuralgia
- Overuse damage to the hand, hip, knee and foot
- Inflammation of the joints
- Joint and soft tissue injuries
- Sports injuries
- Laser therapy – benefits of treatment:
- Generally painless
- Versatile
- Significant improvement in findings and rapid effectiveness – usually after the 4th application
- Often an alternative to drug or surgical treatment
- Applicable in all age groups
- Sustainable stimulation of the healing process
- Ability to work and exercise as a rule on the same or the following day
- Laser Therapy – Risks and Side Effects
- Injuries to the retina
Because of this risk, both the patient and the treating specialist must wear protective goggles during treatment.
Laser Therapy – Cost
The laser therapy is billed to you personally according to the fee schedule for doctors (GOÄ). We will discuss the cost situation with you before the start of the therapy and you will receive a fee agreement from us before the start of the treatment.
The costs of the treatment are usually covered in full by private health insurances, while statutory health insurances usually do not reimburse their insured persons for the costs or only partially.
The treatment method described here is an alternative medical / complementary medical therapy method that is not or not yet one of the generally recognized methods in the sense of recognition by conventional medicine.
All statements made about the properties, effects and areas of application of the presented therapy method are based on the knowledge and empirical values in the therapy direction itself as well as our many years of experience, which are not or not yet shared by the prevailing conventional medicine.
Some of the pains, injuries and conditions that you can treat with laser therapy for pain include:
Muscle Strains
Muscle strains are common in sports and other physical activities. Anyone who is even remotely active can suffer from a muscle strain. Most professional sports athletes suffer from muscle strains from time to time.
Deep tissue laser therapy can significantly help remove the pain suffered during muscle strains and allow you to get back to your sports activity in no time. Many MLB stars have used laser therapy for pain to go back and get some game time a couple of days after they first suffered from a debilitating muscle strain.
Ligament Tears
Recent studies have found out that laser therapy for knees can help manage ACL tears and initiate the biological healing process. The therapy also helps with pain in the Achilles tendon and significantly improves mobility after a quick process.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
CPS or carpal tunnel syndrome is a debilitating injury that impacts your quality of life. The symptoms include pain in the hand and wrist, in addition to constant tiredness and numbness. Laser therapy can help reduce the severity of CPS and allows you to start the recovery process. The results are helpful in the long run and assist you in the road to recovery.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis players above the age of 30 constantly suffer from tennis elbows. A typical tennis elbow is so severe it can hinder movement of the arms. The sufferings do not last after patients go for laser therapy in physiotherapy. In many cases, players have reported that their tennis elbow pain was completely fine after just one session of therapy.
At Achieve Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, we provide our clients with a laser therapy solution for acute and chronic pain. Our laser therapy for pain treatment ensures that our clients are up and running in a matter of weeks.
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