Cold Laser Therapy

A number of patients come to our Yakima chiropractic office in search of relief from some type of condition or injury that is preventing them from living the life they want to live. Although we have many different treatment remedies in our office, one we use regularly is cold laser therapy.

Cold laser therapy is often referred to as low level laser therapy (LLLT) and it involves using light wavelengths on damaged or inflamed tissue.  Essentially, the light is placed over the affected area for seconds to minutes, allowing it to pass through the skin and reach the cells below, causing an interaction that produces two distinct positive benefits.

Benefit #1: Pain Reduction

The first and most noticeable benefit is pain reduction. Some pain-related conditions that cold laser therapy can help with include arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, and tendonitis. In fact, one double-blind study conducted on people with knee osteoarthritis discovered that, when compared to a placebo group, those who engaged in cold laser therapy reported “a significant improvement” in their levels of pain. They also noticed positive results in regard to pressure sensitivity and joint flexion.

Benefit #2: Increased Healing

The second distinct positive benefit of cold laser therapy is increased healing. Research suggests that this type of treatment speeds up the healing process, as was found in one triple-blind study that involved using cold laser therapy on individuals with forearm abrasions. Researchers reported greater wound contraction in the participants that received cold laser therapy than those in the control group, which means faster healing times.

To find out if cold laser therapy can help you, call our Yakima chiropractic office today and schedule an appointment with Dr. Covington. It may just be the answer you’re looking for!


References
Hegedüs, B et al. (2009, August). The effect of low-level laser in knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Photomedicine  and Laser, 27(4), 577-584, doi: 10.1089/pho.2008.2297
Hopkins, JT et al. (2004, July-September). Low-level laser therapy facilitates superficial wound healing in humans: a triple-blind, sham-controlled study. Journal of Athletic Training, 39(3), 223-229.

Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC522143/