How Light Therapy Enhances Physical Therapy Treatment

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Muscles

Though laser technology started with Albert Einstein, the technology didn’t evolve until the 1960’s when a laser prototype at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, was first built. However, its purpose wasn’t for the medical industry; instead, for the military.

It eventually trickled down into Hollywood when Sci-Fi directors realized its potential for visual effects. But, of course, it didn’t take long for other fields to jump on the laser light bandwagon, including the medicine and rehabilitation industries. From there, the medical industry began to understand laser light’s impact on the human body when it came to healing and recovery.

Low-level (light) laser therapy (LLLT) is used to treat various conditions, including pain relief and inflammation. Over the past ten years, research and technological advancements have fine-tuned low-level light therapy, making the treatment highly effective in providing pain relief and healing treatment.

What is Low-Level Laser Light Therapy?

Before we talk about its capabilities, it’s essential to understand how it functions. Low-level laser light therapy is a non-invasive technique that gives the body a low dose of light to stimulate cellular healing. Laser light therapy targets the specific area in need to increase mobility by reducing pain and inflammation.

Low-level laser light therapy works through a process called photobiomodulation. During this process, the light is absorbed by the body’s tissue, where the cells respond with a physiological reaction, promoting cellular regeneration. The light stimulates cellular metabolism to promote cell growth and the healing of damaged cells.

How Laser Light Affects the Body

There are a couple of ways laser light therapy affects the body. Here’s what laser light therapy does for the body:

  1. Light energy is absorbed by melanin, hemoglobin, and water. The energy dissolves into heat, creating a soothing and warm sensation. The warming sensation helps patients feel relaxed.
  2. There’s an increase in ATP production in the mitochondria through light energy, the cell’s powerhouse. With increased ATP production, more energy is available for the healing process.
  3. Light energy aids with the release of nitric oxide, which enhances the circulation of damaged tissue. Increased circulation allows for improved oxygen exchange, nutrient exchange, and waste removal.
  4. Light energy releases crucial chemicals that help reduce inflammation.

So can laser light therapy be used alongside physical therapy? The answer is yes. In fact, the two treatments complement each other perfectly.

The Perfect Pair: Laser Light Therapy and Physical Therapy

With patients experiencing chronic or acute pain, the feeling of pain isn’t the main issue. However, patients can reduce pain and inflammation symptoms through laser light therapy while undergoing physical therapy treatments. Laser light therapy is ideal for pre and post-surgical procedures and during rehabilitation.

Patients undergoing laser light therapy will feel warm and soothing healing sensations as well as an immediate reduction in pain after treatment. By reducing pain, patients will improve their physical therapy performance and reduce their healing time. Ideally, four to six laser light therapy sessions are recommended to patients to receive the best results.

Whether you’re looking to improve your chiropractic, dermatology, medical or physical therapy practice, laser light therapy can provide your patients with the extra care they need to reduce chronic or acute pain and inflammation symptoms.

With many laser light products on the market, you want to make sure you’re investing in a medical-grade laser light device for your practice. Kaiyan Medical manufactures MDA-certified and FDA-approved laser light therapy devices, ideal for various medical and rehabilitation industries.