Cold Laser Therapy or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is a specialized treatment that uses light waves to connect with inflamed or hurt tissue to ignite the healing process. It is often used on patients who have a number of acute and chronic conditions including pain, inflammation, spasms, and swelling. For those seeking another alternative to surgical intervention, cold laser therapy is often a viable option. At Capac Chiropractic in Capac, MI, Dr. Todd Grubb is a second generation chiropractor whose family has been practicing in the area for almost 50 years.
Approximately the size of a flashlight, a cold laser therapy device is handheld and placed directly above the injured area of the body for anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes, depending on the severity of the size of the area being treated. The cold laser therapy device emits non-thermal light photons that permeate the various layers of the skin to reach the target area. Think of cold laser therapy as similar to photosynthesis, where sunlight is absorbed by a plant and then converted into energy that stimulates growth.
Cold laser therapy is used to treat a multitude of conditions, with the most common being arthritis pain, back pain, knee pain, neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and tendonitis. A major benefit of cold laser therapy is that it is non-invasive and rarely limits day to day activities. It is likely that multiple treatments - with the average range being 8 to 30 - will be needed to effectively treat the symptoms. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may need to have multiple cold laser therapy visits each week.
For more information and to learn if cold laser therapy may be an option for you, give Capac Chiropractic a call at 810-295-2679 to schedule an initial consultation. Dr. Grubb and team will take the time to do a thorough examination, develop a treatment plan, and help decide if cold laser therapy is a valid treatment option.
Cold Laser Therapy, also known as Low Level Laser Therapy, is a treatment that utilizes specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissue and is known to accelerate the healing process of a variety of clinical conditions. By definition, this type of therapy uses radiation intensities that induce minimal temperature elevation (not more than 0.1 to 0.5 degrees celsius), if any. Low-energy lasers have been promoted as an effective way to produce pain relief.
Cold Laser Therapy is widely used for treatment of:
- Acute and chronic pain
- Ligament sprains
- Muscle strain
- Soft tissue injuries
- Tendonitis
- Arthritis
- Tennis elbow
- Back pain
- Bursitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Wound healing
Cold lasers are handheld devices used by the doctor and are typically the size of a flashlight. The laser is placed directly over the injured area for 30 seconds to several minutes, depending on the size of the area being treated and the dose provided by the cold laser unit.
Cold laser therapy is one option among a variety of treatment approaches that can potentially alleviate pain symptoms without the use of surgery or drugs.