About Cold Laser Therapy and Chronic Pain

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Since Einstein's discoveries in the early 1900's, the LASER or Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation has been used and studied in a variety of fields. While it has been in use in the veterinary field for the past decade or so, it is only recently finding popularity in the field of chronic pain and chiropractics.

About: Cold Laser Therapy, or Low-Level Therapy, uses a monochromatic wavelength to penetrate 2-5 cm below the skin's surface, and interact with light-sensitive elements on the cellular level. This stimulates a natural reaction in the body to increase the healing process, and provide temporary pain relief.

Uses: Many studies have shown a significant reduction in chronic neck, shoulder and lower back pain with low-level therapy. There are also studies showing possible effects on bone growth, and an increased rate of healing with wounds, specifically burns and scars.

The Treatment: The device itself is handheld, about the size of a small flashlight. Each treatment lasts less than 20 minutes, as the light is only emitted for a few minutes. The treatment can be repeated as often as necessary, and there are no serious negative side effects. Treatment prices range from $30 to $60 per session, and approved medical devices are approximately $4000, but not available for the public.

Results: Patients have reported a temporary pain relief that they have not experienced with other procedures such as invasive surgery, chiropractic therapy, and pain medications. The reduced pain and increased functionality allows them to resume regular life activities that they were otherwise denied.

Alternative Benefits: With other pain management solutions, there can be various issues and side effects. Surgeries are invasive and require ample recovery time, as well as exposure to infection and anesthesia. The medications required for surgery can have severe side effects, and pain medications can become addictive. If low doses of pain medications are being used as a solution, the effects on the patient's motor skills can be very severe, which has the potential to significantly inhibit their lifestyle. Simple cold laser device treatments increase functionality and reduce pain without any detrimental side effects to daily life.
Natural solutions are becoming more and more popular in daily life; so cold laser therapy solutions might be the next big thing in pain management.