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My Experience with Low Level Laser (LLL)
I am pleased to have Low Level Laser to offer my patients. Let me tell you about my experience with it so far.
I was introduced to Low Level Laser Therapy by Tom Crandall of the Therapeutic Laser Center in Medford, Oregon, in early 2006. He has built a successful treatment center completely based upon laser therapy. I received training from him and located some reputable sources. There is quite a lot of manufacturer hype to wade through when trying to learn about Low Level Laser therapies.
Studies in Europe and Russia have been ongoing for 30 years on LLL. One of the issues to keep in mind when reading articles summarizing studies done on Low Level Laser is that there is a lot of variability in the types of such lasers used. Some questions to keep in mind would be, "Is it pulsed?" "What were the wavelengths used?" "What was the time interval used to treat?" "What was the strength of the signal?" There is the distinct possibility of both over- and under-treatment. I have had experience with both of these effects.
I purchased the Terraquant unit through Tom Crandall and began using it on myself and my family. At first I had two single head lasers. I went to work treating my sciatic nerve condition which I had for years. I wasn't completely convinced after three weeks that there was enough of an effect to say it definitely worked. But when I got a cluster head laser, with six laser heads in one, I started seeing progress, to the point that I was very pleased with how my sciatica responded to it. My son's sore thumb from bowling responded very quickly. My husband's headache got prompt relief as did his tennis elbow condition. My daughter's sore muscles from sports did not respond. I believe that is because her condition was due to lactic acid in the muscle tissue and not due to a true sprain or strain or inflammation.
While I still had just the single laser heads, I took the Terraquant with me when I visited my parents. They live too far for me to visit very often. My Dad has spinal stenosis and chronic discomfort in his right leg from his back condition, and his right leg stays swollen. We only had time for four consecutive day treatments, and he did experience a flare the day I left. The flare promptly resolved and is a sign that the LLL treatments were causing an effect. I tried to treat too quickly for too long each session. His swelling did improve though. The recommended number of treatments for a fair trial is 15. Now many people have relief before that. With my Dad, his condition was very chronic, having been there for years, and it hadn't improved much after surgery. To be fair, he should have had 15 treatments, spaced at two per week.
In the summer of 2006, I pulled a muscle in my back. This pain was severe enough that I had to limit my driving and moved with extreme caution. I anticipated that pain lasting at least 1 to 2 weeks. I started doing Low Level Laser treatments daily. By the third day, treatment resulted in the pain becoming 90% resolved within a few minutes of finishing that session and continued to resolve fully over the next several days. So I was very pleased with the results. Now this was an acute relatively severe back strain that I started treating right away, and I had the cluster laser head.
One of my staff has used the Terraquant cluster laser for carpal tunnel symptoms, which she has had off and on for years. She experienced relief right away. When she gets flares now, she brings them under quick control with the Terraquant.
I have used the Terraquant following acupuncture with excellent results. Patients have found it definitely beneficial.
If you have ever watched a cut heal, you know it is not instantaneous. The body heals in a step-wise fashion. Some conditions can have pretty immediate reversal with surgery. But quite frankly, that is often the exception and not the rule with back pain. Surgery shines when the cutting takes severe pressure off a nerve in time; that's when it can restore the nerve function.
The body accepts smaller increments of input over longer periods of time much better than a huge amount in a short time. Think of it this way: if we took a huge dose in one day of an essential nutrient that isn't stored well by the body, and then did not take that nutrient again for many months, there wouldn't be as much benefit from that one time high dose. But if that essential nutrient was taken in smaller more frequent dosing, we would likely benefit more. Healing takes time. Incremental improvement takes time to recognize. So with LLL, two shorter treatments a week for up to 7 or 8 weeks has been shown to be a better protocol.
One of the most fortunate things about Low Level Laser is that it has not been shown to have any dangerous side effects. The worst that has been known to happen is that there might be a temporary flare of the symptoms. This means the healing processes were mildly suppressed and not optimally stimulated. It does no permanent damage.
The following is some information that I found on www.LaserWorld.org.
What is Low Level Laser Therapy?
Low-level laser therapy utilizes compressed light of a wavelength from the cold, red part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is different from natural light in that it is coherent (it travels in a straight line), monochromatic (a single wavelength) and polarized (it concentrates its beam in a defined location or spot). The energy range of low level laser light is between 1 and 500 mW (milliwatts). The surgical lasers have energy ranges 20 to 300 times stronger, which is 3000 to 10,000 mW. These properties allow laser light to penetrate the surface of the skin with no heating effect ordamage to the skin or underlying structures.
How does it work?
Low level lasers supply energy to the body in the form of non-thermal photons of light. Light is transmitted through the skin's layers (the dermis, epidermis and the subcutaneous tissue) at all wavelengths in the visible range. However, light waves in the near infrared range, penetrate the deepest of all light waves in the visible spectrum. Remember that light is a form of energy. We are basically inputing energy to the skin and the structures beneath the skin. Low Level Laser light directs biostimulative light energy to the body's cells which the cells then convert into chemical energy to promote natural healing and pain relief. Studies have not demonstrated any harmful effects.
When low level laser light waves penetrate deeply into the skin, they optimize the immune responses of our blood, leading to both anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Scientific studies have shown that light transmitted to the blood in this way has positive effective throughout the whole body. So the effects are both local and systemic. Pain relief experienced with Low Level Laser light appears to be due to increased endorphin release and suppression of nociceptor action.
Three effects are widely cited in the literature regarding LLL Therapy.
What can laser therapy treat?
Therapeutic applications which have been studied and have shown promising results include:
What Are The Effects of Laser Light on Tissue?
Laser light causes five (5) actions on tissue, which have been documented as the basis for treatment benefits. They are listed below, summarized from medical and veterinary research articles.
Accelerated Tissue Repair
Rapid Formation of Collagen
Beneficial Effect on Nerve Cells and the Production of B-Endorphins
Accelerated Lymphatic System Activity and Reduction in Edema
Formation of New Capillaries and Increased Blood Flow
Low level laser therapy can effectively work in harmony with the body’s own healing mechanisms. There are no harmful side effects reported from laser therapy.
When I went to http://www.ncbi.nih.gov and typed in <"low level laser"> in the search box, I was pleased to see so many research articles listed and available on the subject .
Will there be pain with Low Level Laser Therapy?
Treatment is simple and painless. It is similar to holding a flashlight close to the skin and shining the light on it. There is no sensation of pain, nor is there an increase in temperature from the laser. Treatment times vary based upon the size of the area to be treated, and the output power of the laser. Most treatments take 5-10 minutes, although the treatment of acupuncture points takes only 1-2 minutes per point.
Will insurance cover Low Level Laser Therapy
As with any therapy, insurance coverage varies from policy to policy even within the same carrier. Although research has been ongoing for over 30 years, this form of therapy has yet to become "main stream" in this country.
The bottom line is that with good equipment and good protocols, I see this as something valuable to offer to my patients.
Suggested websites for further study:
http://www.ncbi.nih.gov and search "low level laser"