Cold Laser Therapy for Arthritis Pain
(Also works for tendonitis and joint pain!)
Low Level Laser is a Proven Treatment for Pain
Cold Laser Therapy for Arthritis Pain
The amazing power of light! We see a lot of patients with arthritic issues, and I want to tell you what we’re doing about this. One of the treatments we’re finding that works really well is something called an 830 nanometer cold laser (also known as low level laser therapy or LLLT). This cold laser is the most internationally studied cold laser in the world. They’re using this after surgery; they’re using it with the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball and at the Olympic training centers.
Best of all: Cold Laser Therapy is Painfree!
How Cold Laser Therapy Works
There are three lasers that come out of this unit, and they penetrate about five centimeters deep or so. There are actually lots of things the cold laser does and I’m going to give you a few examples. It helps generate new and healthy tissue, and it helps reduce inflammation and swelling. There’s a whole list of other things it does, including increased metabolic activity within the cell for healing. And there are no bad side effects.
We’re seeing this really work well with patients with knee arthritis, hip arthritis, and I’ve got a shoulder arthritis patient I used it with just this morning, and she’s doing much better. I have a tennis player patient, who got caught back on a forehand, and she tore her rotator cuff. She also has some neck and shoulder blade problems too, so she’s getting some laser. After just two treatments, her shoulder is feeling better and she’s encouraged by her progress.
What Cold Laser Does to Promote Healing
An example of how cold laser therapy works involves soft tissue trauma. These types of injuries consist of damage to the deep, sensitive layers of tissue beneath the epidermis, including muscular, neural, lymphatic, and vascular tissue. The human body normally reacts to this soft tissue trauma by “splinting” the injury with edema, a thin or watery fluid in tissue spaces. However, excess edema causes swelling that inhibits movement of the damaged tissue.
These injuries result in two types of pain. The first is actual traumatic pain from the injury itself, and the second pain is from the swelling that results. Cold laser therapy focuses first on the lymphatic system which maintains the body’s fluid balance, while the laser light also helps absorb the excess edema. It also increases metabolic activity in the cell by increasing the cell’s production of a chemical called ATP. Think of ATP like jet fuel for the cell. Increase the ATP, and you speed up healing!
Other uses for Cold Laser Therapy
In addition to arthritis, cold laser therapy is commonly helpful for tendon injuries, tendonitis, and myofascial trigger points. We frequently use cold laser to successfully treat problems such as Achilles tendonitis, shoulder and knee tendonitis, and joint pain. Cold laser therapy is also an effective treatment for tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow. We have used cold laser to successfully treat Sever’s Disease, Osgood Schlatter’s Disease, and plantar fasciitis as well.
If you have any arthritic issues, or muscle pain/injury, the cold laser is a great compliment to your entire treatment program.
To see the laser in action, check out this video, or to hear about its use on plantar fasciitis, listen to this podcast.
At Bodyworx, we specialize in keeping people active, mobile, and off pain pills. Come on in and see us if you have any of these issues, or if you have any questions about cold laser or any other treatment at our Wichita office, feel free to give us a call at (316) 558-8808 or contact us here.
