I recently picked up a cold laser, which is one of the tools I’ve been dreaming about owning since I was a student in chiropractic school! It’s a great option for treating soft tissue like muscles and tendons and has been shown to help reduce arthritis pain in some cases! Cold Laser Therapy can also sometimes be called Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT for short)

The laser uses infrared light waves to stimulate your cells to regenerate faster and remove inflammation. This helps your cells get rid of toxins easier and refresh blood flow to an area, all of which makes healing so much easier for your body. As your muscles and joints heal with the laser treatments, you may begin to notice that it is easier and more comfortable to move! The less inflammation that there is in your body, the more your joints are able to move through their full range of motion.

Laser therapy is effective for:

• mild-moderate forms of arthritis as it can be used to try and stimulate collagen production to rebuild cartilage between joints and reduce the surrounding inflammation by drawing nutrients and oxygen to the cells.
• Nerve injuries. The influx of blood flow and oxygenation helps stimulate nerves. The only downside of this is it can be more painful before it gets better.
• Muscle strains and sprains! Twisted ankles, sore wrists, whiplash, any injury that affects muscles can benefit from the increased blood flow and lymphatic drainage that the Laser will help produce.
• Migraines and chronic headaches. The blood flow improvement can help reduce the severity and frequency of migraine/headache symptoms.

Laser for Arthritis

When using Laser to treat arthritis, it is used over small areas in the affected joints and then along the spine at the nerve roots. Over time, the laser treatments will decrease inflammation in the arthritic joints allowing you to move with more ease and less pain. This is beneficial for Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic arthritis, and any other condition that causes joint inflammation.

Laser for Injury healing

Using the laser for soft tissue injuries or nerve injuries is really most effective if its something that’s close to the skin, since the laser wont travel through to deep tissues, like those in your hamstrings, quadriceps, or some low back muscles. The light waves will increase the blood flow to the injured tissues allowing for faster healing and better tissue regrowth.

Cold laser has also been shown to improve blood flow to the scalp to help minimize headaches and migraines!

Who should not use Laser?

Laser therapy should not be used over burns or open wounds; however, it can be used in surrounding areas once healing has already begun.

Laser cannot be used near or over the thyroid as it can damage the fragile tissues.

Laser should not be used for pregnant women, as the infrared light waves can travel through skin and muscles and affect unborn babies.

If you have more specific questions, feel free to drop a comment below or shoot me an email at onceuponaspinedoc@gmail.com, or book an appointment to try it out for yourself!