What You Need To Know About Cold Laser Therapy

Cold laser therapy, also called low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or low-power laser therapy (LPLT), is a non-surgical pain management treatment suitable for some patients who experience back and neck pain or certain injuries. Chiropractors and other health care professionals apply cold laser therapy to the pained or inflamed areas.
The procedure uses a low-level laser that emits near-infrared light. The light from the laser is able to penetrate the skin and reach the body's deeper tissues. Once the tissues absorb the light, it interacts with the body's cells and speeds up the healing process. The laser light also helps reduce pain and swelling in damaged tissues.UsesCold laser therapy is used primarily on patients who have chronic musculoskeletal pain. While the treatment works on different parts of the body for different injuries, like ligament and muscle strains, patients who have lasting lower back or neck pain often find relief from laser therapy. Cold laser therapy also helps patients who have arthritis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, hip bursitis, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ). Procedure and ResultsA single treatment session of cold laser therapy is typically short. Most health care professionals who administer the treatment spend 30 seconds to several minutes holding the handheld laser over the affected areas.Treatment sessions that cover a large area, such as the entire lower back, take longer since the laser device will need to be moved around to target one smaller area at a time. The procedure isn't painful, and you won't feel any vibration or hear any noise. Some patients can feel the laser, but most do not report it as uncomfortable.There is no standard for the number and frequency of cold laser therapy treatments. How many sessions you'll need depends on the severity and type of your condition and how well previous treatment sessions work.You may have to wait several weeks to a month to see the full benefit of cold laser therapy, and some patients need to have several short sessions a week to get maximum relief.Cold laser therapy has been the subject of multiple studies that have shown generally favorable results, though many of the studies have small participant groups. This treatment is FDA-approved, so you know it’s safe and effective.Advantages and DisadvantagesOne of the biggest advantages of cold laser therapy is that it is a non-invasive treatment method. Since cold laser therapy doesn't lead to any downtime for healing, it can be a good treatment choice for patients who experience pain but have busy lifestyles.The therapy also doesn't involve the use of any medications, which makes it appealing to patients seeking drug-free ways to manage their pain. However, you can combine it with medications and other treatment methods to provide additional relief.The main disadvantage many patients report is that cold laser therapy doesn't work immediately. Most patients need multiple treatment sessions — as many as 30 — to see a significant reduction in inflammation and pain. Another downside to cold laser therapy is that some health insurance providers won't cover the cost of the treatment. But some health care practitioners offer billing or payment plans to help patients afford the cost of the treatment. RisksCold laser therapy is approved for use by the FDA, and it is considered safe for most patients. The treatment has very few side effects and is tolerated very well by most people. Testing on pregnant women is lacking, so pregnant women shouldn't have cold laser therapy. People who have open sores, suspicious moles, or cancerous lesions shouldn't expose their skin to lasers.Davison Chiropractic offers chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, and pain management treatments to patients in Davison and Lapeer, Michigan and the surrounding areas. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

If you have an injury that causes pain and inflammation, you may benefit from working with a healthcare professional, like a physical therapist or chiropractor, to help you recover. Your therapist may use a variety of treatments to help decrease your pain and improve blood flow to inflamed tissue. One such treatment is called cold laser therapy. Cold laser therapy is also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT).

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This article helps you understand what cold laser therapy is and how it can be used to help treat injuries. It will also examine the research surrounding cold laser therapy to help you decide if it is something you should pursue for your specific injury.

What Is Cold Laser Therapy?

Cold laser therapy is a type of treatment in which low-intensity light is applied to your body, typically over injured or inflamed tissue. The low-intensity light, referred to as "cold laser," is thought to improve blood flow and decrease pain and inflammation to injured tissues.

Cold laser therapy should not be confused with high-intensity laser that a surgeon may use to cut through tissues. The light-emitting diodes in cold laser therapy are not powerful enough to cut tissue, but they are strong enough to penetrate your skin and promote healing after injury.

How Cold Laser Therapy Works

Cold laser therapy uses light photons that are introduced to your skin with a wand that contains several light-emitting diodes. As the photons enter your skin and pass through injured tissue, chemical changes to the mitochondria of the cells occur, signaling them to increase the production of adenosine triphosphate. This is theorized to cause positive healing to those tissues.

But not just any light will work for this healing process to occur. Low-level laser therapy, typically at 600- to 1,000-nanometer wavelength, is best to increase blood flow and improve healing in injured tissues.

Types of Conditions Treated by Cold Therapy

Your healthcare provider may use cold laser therapy to treat a variety of conditions. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Arthritis
• Tendonitis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Ligament sprains
• Muscle strains
• Joint pain
• Fibromyalgia pain
• Frozen shoulder
• Bursitis
• Soft tissue injuries and burns

Any soft tissue injury that causes pain or inflammation in your body may benefit from the use of cold laser therapy.

Pros and Cons of Cold Laser Therapy

When deciding to have cold last therapy for your injury, your healthcare provider should explain to you the goals of the treatment. Also, they should discuss with you the expected benefits and risks associated with cold laser therapy.

Pros of cold laser therapy include:

• Treatment is not invasive.
• Treatment is typically painless.
• Cold laser therapy may help your injury heal faster.

Risks to cold laser therapy are minimal, but you should understand them. Cons to having the procedure done may include:

• You may need several treatments to realize positive results.
• Treatment may be expensive, especially if your health insurance does not cover the therapy.
• Some research indicates that cold laser treatments are no better than placebo (treatment with no therapeutic value) for musculoskeletal injuries.

What to Expect

If you and your healthcare provider choose to use cold laser therapy for your injury, it helps to understand what to expect during the treatment. During cold laser therapy, your affected body part will be exposed, and you and your healthcare provider may wear special goggles to shield your eyes during the treatment.

Then, a small wand with light-emitting diodes will be touched to your skin and held in place for a few seconds. The light will be applied to your affected skin and injury site for about 30 to 60 seconds.

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Many healthcare providers will have you perform gentle exercises for your condition to help improve the range of motion (capability of a joint to go through a spectrum of movements) and strength of your affected body part. Keep in mind that low-level laser therapy should be one part of your total rehab experience; research supports exercise and movement for many musculoskeletal injuries.

Effectiveness

When choosing to have cold laser therapy treatments, you should have an idea of the research surrounding the therapy. There is some research supporting the use of low-level lasers for back pain, neck pain, and tendonitis.

A meta-analysis (examining data from a large number of independent studies) found that cold laser treatments can have a positive effect on pain reduction in people with low back pain. The studies did not show an increase in functional movement, however.

Another meta-analysis found that joint pain can be lessened with the use of cold laser therapy. Again, no benefit was found of improving overall function in patients getting the treatment.

If you have tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon, which attaches muscle to bone) or tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon and the sheath surrounding it), your healthcare practitioner may choose to use laser therapy for you.

A meta-analysis of using cold laser therapy for tendinopathy concluded that "there is very-low-to-moderate quality evidence demonstrating that photobiomodulation (cold laser) has utility as a standalone and/or adjunct therapy for tendinopathy disorders."

Bottom Line

There is a mixed bag of scientific research indicating that cold laser therapy may be beneficial for pain relief in certain conditions. However, it may not be effective in improving function in musculoskeletal conditions. (And maybe the placebo effect is at play with some studies. Perhaps improvements in pain were found due to the patient getting any sort of treatment for their condition.)

Have a discussion with your healthcare provider before starting any cold laser treatments for your condition.

Summary

If you are suffering from pain or limited motion due to a soft tissue, joint, or tendon injury, you may benefit from working with a physical therapist to return to normal activity. Your therapist may use a variety of treatments, and one may be cold laser therapy.

Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level light therapy, is a therapeutic modality used to improve healing and blood flow to injured tissues. It is a painless procedure, and it may be done as part of a well-rounded rehab program including exercise and functional mobility.

Cold laser therapy is a painless procedure involving the introduction of light of specific wavelengths to injured tissues. The light creates a photobiomodulation effect, increasing blood flow and speeding cellular processes to improve healing. If you are injured, ask your physician if cold laser therapy is right for your specific condition.

A Word From Verywell

Experiencing chronic pain affects every area of life. Thankfully, there are many different options to help reduce and manage pain. While research regarding cold laser treatments is limited, published data indicate that it may decrease pain for certain conditions, but it may not do much to improve function.

Pain management is usually multifaceted, so talk to your healthcare provider about additional rehabilitation techniques. They may decide to combine cold laser therapy with other treatments, including a physical therapy routine, medications, and different medical procedures.

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