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Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)

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What is a Laser?

The laser is the latest and most advanced of our light sources. The word LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Strictly speaking, therefore, lasers are light amplifiers if the radiation produced is within the visible range, or radiation amplifiers if the radiation produced is within the infrared or the ultra-violet ranges.

The laser is a light source that generates extremely pure light. With pure light we mean light that has a single wavelength, not a whole spectrum. For illustration's sake imagine the following: the sound of a flute is purer than the sound of a can that has been filled with stones and is being shaken. The flute generates a sound with a specific tone (a certain wavelength). Just as in the case of the flute, the laser gives off waves that stay coherent for a long time. Light from laser is highly ordered, well organized, while the light from ordinary light bulbs is typically un-organized. Laser light is called coherent.

The "pure" sound of a flute can affect humans and matter in a way that is different from "un-pure" sounds such as traffic noise. The pure tone with the right frequency can cause a crystal glass to resonate, it may even shatter it. Similarly, coherent light can affect our tissue cells in the manner different from non-coherent light.

There are hundreds of different types of lasers. They can be manufactured as high power and low level lasers. Laser light can be of any color, or it can be invisible. The laser beam can be made small and parallel, or divergent.


What is the Medical Laser?

There are many different types of medical lasers. Two main groups stand out:

  1. High Power Lasers: they are used to cut, coagulate and evaporate tissues. These lasers are often called surgical lasers because they can replace the scalpel of the surgeon.

  2. Low Level Lasers: they can be used for the stimulation of cell function. They are also called bio-stimulating lasers or Low Intensity Lasers. Their biological effect is not thermal, as is the case with surgical lasers.

The pure light of the lasers causes photochemical reactions in the cells. Laser light photons are absorbed by antenna pigments (chromophores) within the cells. This induces increased production of cellular energy (ATP) which leads to normalization of cell function, pain relief and healing. The effect of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is especially striking in areas of the body where cells are under stress; it sometimes borders on the miraculous.


Conditions that respond well to Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT):


There are more than 50 positive Double Blind Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) Studies that show clear evidence that LLLT is highly effective for the following conditions:

 
  • chronic pain
  • acute (traumatic) pain
  • neck, back pain
  • tendinitis
  • sports injuries
  • painful triggerpoints
  • carpal tunnel syndrome
  • tennis/golfer elbow
  • acne, eczema
  • inflamm. skin conditions
  • wounds and burns
  • non-healing ulcers
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • fibromyalgia
  • lymphedema
  • osteoarthritis
  • migraines
 

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© Peter M. Zeischegg, MS, DC, DACNB 2013