Understanding Laser Therapy
Laser Therapy is a healing modality that is one of the most exciting breakthroughs of the past 20 years. Extensively studied, with over 2000 double blind, placebo controlled studies to prove its efficacy, cold laser therapy from Theralase uses a combination of infrared and near infrared lasers to stimulate tissue healing in a number of different applications.
To see a video on how laser therapy works, click here.
If you or somebody you know suffers from any of the below conditions, laser therapy may be helpful for you:
How can one thing be so helpful for so many problems? If you’re like me, you may be skeptical and curious all at the same time.
First, you need to understand something about injured tissue.
In an acute injury, your body responds with a vigorous inflammatory response that is usually out of proportion to the actual injury (it does this in case there are bacteria at the injury site). This excessive inflammation creates excessive pain, swelling and additional tissue damage. The swelling reduces blood flow to the area which impedes healing and the inflammatory response takes a lot of the cells’ energy to maintain.
The laser in this case, reduces the inflammatory response by stabilizing the cells membranes, increases circulation by increasing nitric oxide output in the area and provides more energy to the cell as certain molecules in the cell are able to convert the light (photon) energy into chemical energy (ATP). This increase in ATP allows the cell to speed up it’s metabolism and repair itself more effectively. Most research has indicated that lasers will help an acute injury heal 100%-150% faster than it would normally. This is why almost all professional sports teams now have a laser as part of their rehab programs – it gets their players out on the field faster. Response to laser therapy for an acute injury is typically within 3-8 treatments at 2-3 treatments per week.
In a more chronic injury, there is a different set of circumstances at play. In a chronic injury, there is a low grade inflammation that is accompanied by a variety of other cellular changes. Typically there is a reduced blood flow to the area because of the chronic tension that has been generated. That reduction in blood flow means less nutrition and oxygen in and more waste (lactic acid, carbon dioxide and metabolites) builds up in the area. This leaves the cells in the area unable to effectively repair as they are in oxygen and nutrition debt as well as being acidic which impairs their metabolism (this is why your muscles fatigue and burn when you work out). All of this makes it harder for them to synthesize proteins and other essential building blocks to the cell. If the cells can’t repair, the tissue will be compromised and never able to completely heal itself.
The laser in this case, helps heal your cells by increasing circulation into the area, flushing out the waste products and bringing nutrients and oxygen to the starved area. It will also stabilize the cellular membranes in the area, which reduces pain signaling in the area. The increase in ATP output will also revitalize your cells and provide them with more energy to repair themselves. While chronic cases typically take longer than acute cases, they still respond reasonably quickly, typically in 8-15 treatments at a frequency of 3 visits /week.
What Does Laser Therapy Cost?
I have attempted to keep the fees for the laser in the affordable range so that I can help as many people who need it. The fees are related to the number of areas that require care. Typically each area requires 8-10 minutes of laser for a treatment. The fee “per area” is $10. For instance, if you had a tennis or golfer’s elbow, the treatment would be $10. If you had an elbow and a sore knee, then it would be $20 to treat both. Typically the treatment frequency is 2-3X per week for 3-5 weeks depending on pain levels, severity of injury and chronicity of the complaint. Laser therapy is considered a Chiropractic treatment modality so it is covered by extended benefits.
If you are interested in experiencing the benefits of the laser, you can book online by clicking “Make an Appointment” or by calling 519-630-9171. If you’ve seen me before, just book in for the laser treatment. If I’ve not seen you before, please book in for the 45 minute initial consultations so that I have the time to get to know you and understand how I can best help you.
To see a video on how laser therapy works, click here.
If you or somebody you know suffers from any of the below conditions, laser therapy may be helpful for you:
- Tendonitis
- Neck and Back Pain
- Golfer’s/Tennis Elbow
- Skin Conditions (Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis)
- Osteoarthritis
- Wounds/Sutures
- Otitis/Sinusitis
- Muscle Strains
- Joint Sprains
- Rheumatoid arthritis (local inflammation)
- IT band syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Shoulder Injuries
- Shin Splints
- Post Surgical Edema
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Raynaud’s Syndrome
- Burns
How can one thing be so helpful for so many problems? If you’re like me, you may be skeptical and curious all at the same time.
First, you need to understand something about injured tissue.
In an acute injury, your body responds with a vigorous inflammatory response that is usually out of proportion to the actual injury (it does this in case there are bacteria at the injury site). This excessive inflammation creates excessive pain, swelling and additional tissue damage. The swelling reduces blood flow to the area which impedes healing and the inflammatory response takes a lot of the cells’ energy to maintain.
The laser in this case, reduces the inflammatory response by stabilizing the cells membranes, increases circulation by increasing nitric oxide output in the area and provides more energy to the cell as certain molecules in the cell are able to convert the light (photon) energy into chemical energy (ATP). This increase in ATP allows the cell to speed up it’s metabolism and repair itself more effectively. Most research has indicated that lasers will help an acute injury heal 100%-150% faster than it would normally. This is why almost all professional sports teams now have a laser as part of their rehab programs – it gets their players out on the field faster. Response to laser therapy for an acute injury is typically within 3-8 treatments at 2-3 treatments per week.
In a more chronic injury, there is a different set of circumstances at play. In a chronic injury, there is a low grade inflammation that is accompanied by a variety of other cellular changes. Typically there is a reduced blood flow to the area because of the chronic tension that has been generated. That reduction in blood flow means less nutrition and oxygen in and more waste (lactic acid, carbon dioxide and metabolites) builds up in the area. This leaves the cells in the area unable to effectively repair as they are in oxygen and nutrition debt as well as being acidic which impairs their metabolism (this is why your muscles fatigue and burn when you work out). All of this makes it harder for them to synthesize proteins and other essential building blocks to the cell. If the cells can’t repair, the tissue will be compromised and never able to completely heal itself.
The laser in this case, helps heal your cells by increasing circulation into the area, flushing out the waste products and bringing nutrients and oxygen to the starved area. It will also stabilize the cellular membranes in the area, which reduces pain signaling in the area. The increase in ATP output will also revitalize your cells and provide them with more energy to repair themselves. While chronic cases typically take longer than acute cases, they still respond reasonably quickly, typically in 8-15 treatments at a frequency of 3 visits /week.
What Does Laser Therapy Cost?
I have attempted to keep the fees for the laser in the affordable range so that I can help as many people who need it. The fees are related to the number of areas that require care. Typically each area requires 8-10 minutes of laser for a treatment. The fee “per area” is $10. For instance, if you had a tennis or golfer’s elbow, the treatment would be $10. If you had an elbow and a sore knee, then it would be $20 to treat both. Typically the treatment frequency is 2-3X per week for 3-5 weeks depending on pain levels, severity of injury and chronicity of the complaint. Laser therapy is considered a Chiropractic treatment modality so it is covered by extended benefits.
If you are interested in experiencing the benefits of the laser, you can book online by clicking “Make an Appointment” or by calling 519-630-9171. If you’ve seen me before, just book in for the laser treatment. If I’ve not seen you before, please book in for the 45 minute initial consultations so that I have the time to get to know you and understand how I can best help you.
