Do you have a recent injury or chronic pain? Many treatments for pain are invasive and risky, and others relieve pain only for a short time. Cold laser therapy is different though because it harnesses your body’s own healing powers to relieve your pain.
At Peninsula RSI Chiropractic Wellness Center, chiropractor Dana Robinson offers cold laser therapy to help her patients escape chronic pain. If you’re interested in pain relief, here’s a bit about how cold laser treatment works.
How laser therapy helps relieve pain
Orthopedists have used both hot and cold laser therapies for several decades to help heal soft tissue injuries. The FDA approved the use of both techniques in the early 2000s.
FDA approved class IV (hot) laser therapy in 2003 to treat the following:
- Muscle and joint aches
- Pain and stiffness from arthritis
- Muscle tension and spasms
- Poor blood circulation
Hot laser therapy uses lasers with an output of more than 500 milliwatts, which penetrate tissue more deeply than the lasers used in cold laser therapy, which can’t exceed 500 milliwatts. Stronger lasers let your chiropractor treat deep sources of musculoskeletal issues.
Laser power
Laser therapy uses your body’s own powerful resources to accomplish several goals. When infrared energy is directed deep into your tissue, heat is absorbed on a cellular level, stimulating the cells in your connective tissue that produce collagen. That’s important because connective tissue is involved in many musculoskeletal issues that cause pain and limit mobility.
The laser energy also releases tension and clears blockages in your injured muscle. Consequently, muscles relax, and pain is reduced or eliminated.
Laser therapy also relieves inflammation and provides a wake-up call for your circulation, which allows your natural resources to flow more freely into damaged tissue, delivering oxygen and nutrients.
When inflammation is reduced, circulation is increased, cells are stimulated, and muscles are relaxed. Ultimately, your body is more able to heal itself quickly.
What is cold laser therapy?
Cold laser therapy is called “cold” because it uses low levels of light that don’t heat body tissues. Cold laser therapy is also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT).
Cold laser therapy commonly is used to treat:
- Muscle strains
- Ligament sprains
- Tendonitis
- Tennis elbow
- Bursitis
- Knee pain
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain
Cold laser therapy is a safe procedure when performed by a qualified practitioner, and it’s noninvasive and painless. Although the procedure takes only a few minutes, you may need several treatments to achieve desired results.
If you suffer from chronic pain from an injury or arthritis, give us a call at 650-599-9868 or use our online scheduling tool to book an appointment.