Is Cold Laser Therapy A Scam Or A Legitimate Treatment
Is Cold Laser Therapy A Scam Or A Legitimate Treatment
Blog Article
Scientific Research on the Efficacy of Cold Laser Technique
Cold laser therapy is a useful tool to aid in pain management and the healing process. It is often used in sports medicine, dermatology and acupuncture.
Cold lasers penetrate deep into tissues and promote chemical changes without heating them. They reduce inflammation and swelling, speed cellular activity and accelerate healing.
Theoretical Background
Unlike the high-intensity lasers that surgeons use to cut through tissue, cold laser therapy uses light-emitting diodes to penetrate into your skin and promote healing. As these photons reach damaged tissues, they initiate a chain reaction that increases your cells’ production of enzymes and accelerates your body’s natural healing processes.
The photons also reduce pain through the production of endorphins and increase your body’s ability to drain swollen areas by inducing vasodilation (the expansion of blood vessels). As a result, it helps you recover from musculoskeletal injuries and pain more quickly.
Many people have heard about cold laser treatment from their physical therapist, chiropractor or doctor and may be wondering how it works. Unlike most laser devices used in the medical field, which actually heat up tissue, our state-of-the-art equipment emits cold laser light beams that don’t cause any heating of your tissues. This allows your body to receive the therapeutic benefits without triggering any side effects.
Clinical Trials
Cold laser therapy is often recommended as a treatment option for patients who have musculoskeletal pain and injuries. It can be used to reduce inflammation, strengthen tissues and accelerate the body’s natural healing processes.
Non-thermal photons of red and infrared laser radiation are absorbed by the light sensitive elements in cells and initiate an increase in intracellular metabolism that increases cell reproduction, reduces inflammation, eliminates edema and shortens healing time.
Unlike the light that is produced by sunlight or standard lights, laser light is parallel (all wavelengths travel in the same direction), coherent and monochromatic. These properties allow laser energy to penetrate deeper into the tissues.
Several clinical trials have shown that LLLT can be effective in reducing pain in the musculoskeletal system. Nevertheless, more well-designed studies are needed to evaluate the optimal settings for laser irradiation and to determine its effectiveness in specific conditions, laser treatment such as oral mucositis in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and wound healing (including diabetic ulcers following hammertoe surgery). This Aetna policy bulletin does not address other uses of LLLT, including the treatment of various skin diseases.
Conclusions
Unlike surgical lasers that can destroy tumors or coagulate tissue, cold laser therapy does not heat the body's cells. Instead, the light stimulates your cells to produce adenosine triphosphate, which speeds up the repair process of injured tissues.
Aetna considers low-level laser (LLL) therapy medically necessary for the prevention of oral mucositis associated with cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) and non-cancer treatments (such as radiodermal injury, fibromyalgia). Several studies showed that LLT can be effective in reducing PU symptoms without adverse effects. However, differences in study designs and laser dosimetry made comparison of the results difficult; RCTs with low risk of bias are needed. The use of a 660 nm wavelength and higher energy density appears to be more effective than the other studied laser wavelengths. This could be because the other wavelengths may stimulate inflammatory processes and cause more side effects. The effect of the type of laser used is also important; the authors suggest that future research focus on evaluating different types of lasers and their doses to determine the optimal combination of laser parameters for PU prevention.
Recommendations
Cold laser therapy is used by dentists to treat inflamed gum tissue, doctors to ease pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis, and physical therapists to speed the healing of muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries. Many medical insurance plans cover this treatment.
Unlike hot lasers, which have a thermal effect on tissues, cold lasers (also called low-level lasers) stimulate the cellular energy of the skin. Photons from the laser light penetrate into the cell, triggering a series of chemical changes that promotes regeneration and reduces inflammation.
In order to be effective, lasers must be properly setup and used. This is why it is not advisable to buy a cheap over-the-counter laser device and try to treat yourself at home. A trained practitioner is required to ensure that the device is used correctly to minimize the risk of eye injury and maximize its effectiveness. The laser device must be adjusted to the correct setting, intensity, frequency, and position of the laser on the treatment area.