Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Laser Therapy

Technology has completely changed the health-care industry over the last few years. It is considered to be the major driving force behind improvements in the medical industry. Observing the rate of change and recent innovations, it is hard not to agree with this fact.

Medical practitioners are using new and innovative tools to treat various conditions. One of the major breakthroughs in this field is cold laser therapy for pain. This therapy is relatively new and not many people are aware of it. Hence, they might have certain questions regarding the same. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about cold laser therapy.

What is cold laser therapy?

Cold laser therapy, which is also known as “soft laser therapy”, is a form of medical treatment. It is also referred to as therapeutic laser, biostimulation therapy or photobiomodulation. This therapy uses low intensity lasers to treat various medical conditions like sprains, injuries, inflammation, aches, pains, skin rejuvenation, and wound healing. The low intensity laser helps in speeding up the healing process of the affected tissues.

The surgical methods cause the tissues to heat up whereas the cold laser therapy works in a different manner. It does not cause the tissues to heat up, it just stimulates the healing process of the injured tissues with the use of lasers. The lasers are a often used with electric stimulation to treat the affected area. This form of therapy is completely non-invasive and pain free.

The cold laser therapy has been gaining a lot of popularity since it was first discovered. More and more people are opting this form of treatment rather than choosing the conventional methods. Patient reports and scientific studies claim that cold laser therapy is highly beneficial. It is expected that one day this treatment will become a common practice in conventional medical fields.

How does it work?

When people hear the word “laser” they are often taken aback. But you need not worry because this procedure is completely pain-free and non-invasive. In this procedure, the clinician will use only a low intensity laser. The laser will be introduced directly on the affected area. The time for which the laser will be in contact with the skin is decided by the clinician. The duration of the laser is determined in accordance to the severity of the damage to tissues. During this time, the light rays from the laser pass through various layers of skin to the affected tissues. The light has to penetrate as deep as 2 to 5 cm beneath the skin. Once the laser light has penetrated through these layers, it is absorbed by the light sensitive elements in the cell. When the cells absorb this energy, the healing process starts.

A small hand-held device is used by the clinicians to carry out this process. The device is often the size of a flashlight. The intensity of the laser light is adjustable. This therapy can help in pain control, inflammation reduction and also increase the blood flow.

Is It Safe?

People often question the safety of cold laser therapy for pain. This therapy is completely safe and pain-free. It is a non-invasive procedure, which means there will be no incision of any kind on your skin. This in turn means that there will be no recovery needed. As there is no surgery involved, there are no major risk factors in this therapy.

The laser light used for this therapy is of relatively lower frequency. It will not hurt your skin in any manner. The devices have been designed in such a way, so as to ensure that the recipient does not feel any kind of pain or discomfort during the procedure. The non-thermal photons of the light penetrate your skin painlessly to find the source of your pain. Also, there are no reported side effects of this therapy. Under the care of a certified medical practitioner, this treatment is considered safe.

What are the advantages of this therapy?

The cold laser therapy for pain has many advantages and some of them are as below:

Anti-Inflammation:

This procedure can help in decreasing blood pressure as it causes vasodilation. It has an anti-edemic effect because of the same. It also helps the lymphatic drainage system to relieve the swollen areas. As a result of this process, the tissue fluid is reduced to a considerable amount.

Relieves Pain:

This therapy is analgesic in nature, which means anti-pain. Laser therapy has proven to an effective pain blocking mechanism. It has marked a beneficial effect on nerve cells, which block pain transmitted to the brain. Because of this nerve sensitivity is reduced. As a result of less inflammation, there is less fluid collection and less pain. It is helpful in relieving pain as it produces high levels of pain-killing chemicals such as endorphins and enkephalins from the brain and adrenal glands.

It increases the rate of tissue and cell repair:

Lasers permeate deep into the skin and increase the rate of tissue and cell repair. The light from the lasers replenishes the cells with energy. As the energy level in the cell increases, they can retain the nutrients faster and get rid of the waste products. As a result of this procedure, the cells are repaired at an accelerated speed.

Improves vascular activity:

This therapy helps in improving the vascular activity of your body. The laser light induced in the skin increases the formation of new capillaries in injured tissues. As a result of this the healing process gets boosted, the wounds heal at a faster pace and the scar tissue is reduced.

Improved metabolism:

The cold laser therapy can boost your metabolism. It creates a higher output of specific enzymes. Also, it produces more oxygen for blood cells, which helps in increasing metabolism.

Trigger points and acupuncture points:

The laser therapy activates your muscle trigger points and acupuncture points in a non-invasive manner. As the muscle points get triggered, you experience musculoskeletal pain relief.

The formation of fibrous tissue reduces:

Laser therapy effectively reduces the formation of scar tissue. The scar tissues are formed as a result of injury or surgery.

It can improve your nerve functions:

When your nerves get damaged, it can result in numbness and impairment. The laser therapy helps you avoid such situations by accelerating the speed of nerve regeneration. It also increases the amplitude of nerve signals to ensure a faster recovery.

Can boost your immune system:

This therapy has a direct effect on your immune system as it stimulates immunoglobulins and lymphocytes. The laser light is absorbed by molecular enzymes. As a result of which the ATP production is enhanced. The ATP is the main source of cell energy and the energy source for all chemical reactions in the cell.

Your wounds heal faster:

This therapy helps in accelerating the process of wound healing. It stimulates the fibroblast activity. Fibroblast produces collagen, which is the important protein that is essential to replace or repair injured tissue. Due to this, the laser therapy can be highly effective on open wounds and burns.

Why choose this therapy?

There are a number of reasons which make cold laser therapy for pain better than other conventional methods like surgery, medication and physical therapies.

Medically proven:

Cold laser therapy has been medically proven to be highly beneficial for various chronic ailments. There are scientific and medical evidences of this fact.

Gets to the cause of the pain:

Laser therapy treats the main causes of your ailments. While the traditional methods focus on treating only the symptoms, the laser therapy focuses on getting to the root cause of the ailment.

Non-invasive:

This is completely painless treatment. When you choose this therapy you can save yourself from undergoing a surgery. This treatment does not require the need to make an incision anywhere on your body.

No medicines involved:

If you are a person who hates taking prescribed medicine, then cold laser therapy is the perfect option for you. In this therapy, the laser are directly exposed to your body as a result of which you do not have to take any prescribed tablets.

Cost-effective:

The surgical methods are costly. When compared to them, the laser therapy is much more affordable and effective.

What are the precautions one needs to take?

The cold laser therapy is considered safe as it is non-invasive and non-toxic. However, there are certain things that you need to keep in mind before choosing this therapy. Patients who are suffering from ailments like haemorrhage, thyroid conditions, carcinoma or those under immune suppressant drugs, should avoid taking up this therapy. Also, pregnant women should not undergo this therapy.

The cold therapy has been proven to be highly effective since the time it was developed. It is yet to be accepted as a complete form of treatment, hence the above mentioned precautions need to be taken.

How to find cold laser therapy services?

There are many health-care professionals who use cold laser therapy in their healing practices. Health-care professionals like massage therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, may use this form of treatment. You can ask the help of your physician to get this therapy. You can also use the internet to look for clinics near you that offer this form of treatment in their services.

These days lasers are being utilized extensively in the medical industry. From cosmetic, eye surgery and heart surgery, lasers are used for everything. Lasers have the ability to put just the right amount of energy into various parts of a human body. This is the reason why lasers are so widely used for treatment. The cold laser therapy is an important addition to these already established laser treatments. They are highly effective and low-cost, which makes them a perfect option.

The cold laser therapy will be a rapidly growing medical treatment, thanks to the many benefits that it offers the recipients. It is an option among a variety of other options that can provide pain relief or pain reduction. This the perfect method for patients who seek a treatment without invasive measures. Also, if you are an individual who is prone to side effects from drug use, you can opt for it. This treatment only uses laser to treat the ailments, no drugs or medication of any sort is involved in the same. This form of therapy can either be used alone or with a combination of other therapies for better results.

There are many evidences that clearly show the exponential benefits of cold laser therapy for pain. There is a lot of ongoing research to understand all the physiological mechanisms that get affected during laser exposure. This is an exciting and relatively new field that offers recipients a really safe and efficient option to relieve pain. This is your best option to relieve yourself from pain!