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As it stands, the world of healthcare is gearing towards a more non-invasive approach to treatment. Chiropractic care is becoming increasingly popular due to its potential benefits, from back pain relief to improved posture and overall health. Among the practices that chiropractors incorporate in their treatments is chiropractic laser therapy – a form of medical treatment that utilizes low-level lasers to stimulate and heal injured tissues.
If you’re new to chiropractic care or laser therapy, you must have several questions about how this combination of both operates. Come along with me as we demystify everything there is to know about chiropractic laser therapy.
How Does Laser Therapy Work
Laser or cold laser therapy (CLT) uses light waves at different frequencies and wavelengths. The energy provided by the light penetrates your skin without damaging it and interacts with your cells, initiating an anti-inflammatory process. By sending photons into your body’s tissues through these low-grade lasers (LGLs), a biological reaction occurs, positively stimulating healthy cell growth while inhibiting unhealthy ones.
In layman’s terms, when you visit a chiropractor for pain relief, they’ll use Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) machines on either side of your spine, emitting low-level red or infrared waves for 30 seconds and several minutes per session—the result – alleviated pains, allowing a return to free mobility.
Understanding Chiropractic Laser Therapy & Its Benefits
One point needs to be highlighted immediately – LLLT alone may not entirely be responsible for healing ailments, but combined with chiropractic adjustments, results can be far-reaching. Even more so than using just one alone could ever do.
Firstly, clinicians believe that target pains from disc compression can benefit from the therapy the most. It goes right where needed and expedited healing time is also expected post-therapy.
LLLT therapy can induce growth in cells and tissues, rejuvenating them and promoting healing. That being said, if you’ve had surgical interventions, it may not be practical usage for your condition(s).
Medical experts have mentioned some scenarios whereby chiropractic laser therapy can come in handy:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome;
- Inflammation from arthritis;
- Muscles strains and sprains;
- Cortisol imbalances resulting from stress.
Moreover, the healing process triggered by this therapy has many additional and overall health benefits.
Types of Laser Devices Used in Chiropractic Therapy
When it comes to the apparatus employed in chiropractic care, there are two categories they all fall under – hot lasers and cold lasers. Hot devices like carbon-dioxide lasers/ erbium lasers work high-level heat to cut tissues, while colder ones utilize low-level waves that do not deliver impact on the destruction of tissues but aid healing instead.
Cold devices aren’t always as icy as their name may imply anyway – LLLTs such as infrared illumination or helium-neon units emit mild stimulating energies, causing biological responses without visual signs. LPLs (Low-Power Lasers) are regularly used too and categorically free of harm when applied accurately.
In most cases where an injured area exists – for example, sports injuries – hot lasers will cause more internal trauma than any good they bring. Consequently, those treating recurring pain with corrective techniques use cold wave units exclusively for their patients’ benefit.
Unpacking the Research and Exploring Future Possibilities
Over the years, appropriate clinical research has increased tenfold. Technological advancements present even higher potentials for future advances promising we only see better results coming down the pipeline.
The Journal of Laser Therapy originally published a study examining 41 subjects with ankle sprains and ligament pulls. An assortment of the test group was administered the placebo while others received chiropractic laser therapy. As anticipated, those who received LLLT achieved much better results than their counterparts.
Additionally, since many varied use cases emerge for LLLT, including sports performance treatments for thyroid imbalances, studies accumulate, introducing compliance medical science associated with this inventive modality.
Conclusion
When properly utilized, chiropractic laser therapy is a game-changer, safe from any harmful effects, as thought by people who don’t yet understand. Laser therapy has proven beneficial to persons suffering from pain or discomfort due to different injuries or conditions.
Both therapies (chiropractic and LLLT) don’t simply address pains. Instead, they address precise ailments first, paving the way for healing and complete cure onset. As information precedes disorientation in this regard, suffice it to say both are mutually inclusive, each making for optimal results within its respective efficacy when operatively combined/layered jointly by specialists’ care.
So if you’re looking into relieving yourself from chronic pain – whether from arthritis or an injury – consider adding chiropractic laser therapy sessions alongside chiropractic adjustments into your healthcare plan for a more holistic approach. Not only will these relieve your pains, but also restore your overall health and wellness.