Is Cold Laser Treatment Effective for Pain Relief?

You may at times get injuries that cause inflammation and pain. To treat this, you can go for physical therapy and chiropractic care. These professionals may employ various treatment protocols to manage the pain and inflammation. The treatment protocols reduce pain and improve blood flow. One of the protocols they might recommend could be cold laser treatment. It is also known as low-level laser therapy.

What Is Cold Laser Treatment?

Cold laser treatment is a form of therapy where the healthcare provider applies low-intensity light to your body. This low-intensity light is targeted at inflamed tissue or on the injury. The cold laser reduces pain, improves blood flow, and decreases inflammation of the injured tissues.

Cold laser treatment is not like the high-intensity laser surgeons use to cut skin. The technology used in cold lasers is not powerful enough to cut tissue. It is only strong enough to penetrate the skin and foster healing in injured tissues.

How Does It Work?

Cold laser technology utilizes a rod with several light-emitting diodes. The diodes introduce light photons to your skin. As the photons penetrate the injured tissue, they change the mitochondria of the cells. The photons signal them to escalate the creation of adenosine triphosphate. This compound causes positive healing processes in the affected tissues.

Only the light produced by cold laser technology produces this effect. Low-level laser therapy utilizes 600 to 1,000-nanometer wavelengths. The wavelengths at this range prompt healing and increase blood flow to the injured tissues.

What Conditions Are Treated by Cold Laser?

Cold laser technology is an effective treatment for several conditions. Some of these are:

• Tendonitis.
• Arthritis.
• Ligament sprains.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Joint pain.
• Muscle sprains.
• Frozen shoulder syndrome.
• Fibromyalgia pain.
• Injuries to soft tissue and burns.
• Bursitis.

This list is not exhaustive and should include any soft tissue injuries that cause inflammation and pain.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cold Laser Therapy

Before you start cold laser treatment for your injury, your healthcare provider will explain the treatment goals. They will also talk about the risks associated with the treatment and the benefits.

The advantages of cold laser treatment are its non-invasive quality and painless operation. It hastens the healing processes of the body.

The disadvantages of cold laser therapy are the need for several treatments to start seeing results. The treatment may be costly if your insurance does not cover it. Some research indicates that cold laser therapy is not adequate for musculoskeletal injuries.

What to Expect?

It is good to know what to expect if your healthcare provider recommends cold laser therapy. During the treatment, your injured tissues are exposed for the light to pass through. Both you and your healthcare provider will likely put on protective goggles. Next, a small rod of light will touch your skin in the area with the injury. The healthcare provider will apply the light for about 30 to 60 seconds.

Your healthcare provider might recommend exercises for you. These will help improve your range of motion. The exercises combined with the cold laser treatment will help you recover faster.

For more on the effectiveness of cold laser treatment in pain relief, call Dr. Dan Kirschner Chiropractic in Florida. Reach us at our office in Sarasota at (863) 494-7110 or Arcadia at (941) 214-6150.