Physiotherapy often involves therapeutic movement and manipulation of the joints to achieve the strength and balance needed to relieve painful physical conditions. But what happens when the pain is too acute for a traditional physiotherapy approach?
This can happen when conditions such as osteoarthritis or sciatica come on very suddenly, are left untreated for a long time, or when a patient is elderly and manual therapy is simply too much at first.
What is the Role of Laser Therapy?
Laser therapy is designed to help patients who are in too much pain to undergo a physiotherapy routine without having some help first. The laser helps to reduce pain and inflammation and accelerate tissue repair, putting patients on the fast track to recovery. Following laser treatment, patients are often better able to undergo a traditional physiotherapy program of exercises to stretch and strengthen the affected area back to health.
What is laser therapy?
Laser therapy uses focused light to treat musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis and tendonitis, as well as issues like herniated disc or sciatica back pain, by reducing inflammation and increasing oxygen levels in cells. The result is reduced pain and accelerated tissue repair which often means a faster recovery from a host of debilitating and painful disorders.
High intensity laser therapy (HILT) vs low level laser therapy (LLLT)
There are two types of laser therapies physiotherapists use before bringing their patients through a guided program of exercises.
High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT):
Also called hot laser therapy uses a class 4 laser, which means the light emitted from the laser is over 500 Milliwatts and heats the skin. This form of laser therapy can have some adverse side effects, such as scarring and is not used at LifeForce Physiotherapy.
Cold laser or low-level laser therapy (LLLT):
This is the type of laser therapy most commonly used by physiotherapists, and the one we use at LifeForce Physiotherapy. LLLT is also known as cold laser therapy because the type of laser used is under 500 milliwatts and does not heat the skin or leave scarring after treatment.
Issues that Laser Therapy Can Help:
Laser Therapy is a safe and effective path to relief from many painful disorders and has the great benefit of being a hands-off therapy that is free from adverse side effects. We at LifeForce Physiotherapy find Laser Therapy to be a safe and versatile treatment for many ailments which works best when combined with a supervised physiotherapy routine
Osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, and ankle
Osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear on the joints, most often affecting the knee or hip, and is a common condition – in fact, researchers estimate that within the next 10 years the number of people affected by OA will rise from 10% to 30% of the population over 60 years old.
Patients who suffer from osteoarthritis tend to avoid stretching and physical exercise because it is too painful, and this is where the role of the laser is most helpful. Several studies have concluded that cold laser therapy has been used successfully to reduce pain by reducing inflammation related to osteoarthritis. Following laser treatment, a guided physiotherapy regimen is often possible to stretch and strengthen the affected joint and provide more thorough relief from OA pain.
TMJ:
Is your quality of life suffering from jaw pain? It could be TMJ, a common but painful condition characterized by a popping sound coming from the jaw joint. Low-level laser therapy can be used to treat TMJ by reducing inflammation, increasing cell metabolism, and helping the nerves around the jaw disk to heal. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science found that patients in their research group “felt less pain in the TMJ after being treated with LLLT.”
Lower back pain:
The Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research published a report in 2019 with findings from numerous clinical trials conducted on patients suffering from chronic lower back pain. The report concludes that LLLT works to:
- Relieve chronic lumbar pain
- Increase spine mobility
- Reduce inflammation caused by a herniated disc
Are you tired of suffering from joint or tendon pain that is so severe it prevents you from adequately moving or stretching the area? Laser therapy combined with a supervised physiotherapy routine has been clinically shown to reduce pain and inflammation, increase mobility, and generally improve quality of life in patients suffering from an array of musculoskeletal disorders.
Don’t give up on a physical approach and sign up for a lifetime of medicating your pain before trying laser therapy. Contact LifeForce Physiotherapy today. (416) 207-9395
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4570668/
