Therapeutic treatment started using lasers more than 50 years ago but was mostly confined to using “hot lasers”, which involved using the technology for medical purposes such as cutting and cauterizing. In therapy and rehabilitation, another type of laser is used for purposes not related to thermal application of the device. Cold laser, or low-level laser treatment, does not heat up tissues that it is applied to. The wavelength of cold laser is set in such a way that the patient will not feel anything since there is no increase in temperature during treatment.
Tissue repair, healing, and growth are the main focus of cold laser, and its non-invasive nature makes it ideal for dramatically minimizing inflammation and pain while allowing faster healing. The device is placed directly over the affected area, wherein it stimulates repair through photochemical reactions, making it useful for joint injuries, which are hard to access using usual therapy procedures.
Wound healing is another benefit of using cold laser since it allows increases in circulation over the treated area. Multiple sessions of treatment will be required in this case, and the duration of therapy will be based on the extent of injury and response of the patient to the cold laser.
Cold laser can be incorporated into a rehabilitation program in adjunct to manipulation, exercises, and other modalities to comprise a comprehensive healing program.
Some conditions that can be treated using a cold laser are:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Osteoarthritis
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Bursitis
- Tendonitis
- Epicondylitis
- Low Back or Neck Pain
- Sprains or Strains
- Disc Problems
- Dislocations
- Ligament Injuries
- Muscle Injuries or Disorders
