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How laser therapy works A Hungarian physician named Endre
Participating Vendors
Companion Therapy Laser by LiteCure 250 Corporate Boulevard, Suite B Newark, Del. 19702 (302) 709-0408
www.companiontherapylaser.com
Cutting Edge Laser Technologies 350 Turk Hill Park Fairport, N.Y. 14450 (800) 889-4184
www.celasers.com
Dan Scott & Associates 5188 Hoovergate Drive Westerville, OH 43082 (888) 866-6736
www.danscottandassociates.com
Grady Medical Systems, Inc. 32007 Scott Road Winchester, Calif. 92596 (800) 800-2585
www.gradymedical.com
K-LaserUSA
1106 Harpeth Industrial Court Franklin, Tenn. 37064 (866) 595-7749
www.k-laserusa.com
Mester pioneered laser therapy in the late 1960s after realizing that laboratory mice shaved and treated with lasers grew hair more quickly than their untreated counterparts. Mester published several articles on this and future observations and, ultimately, used lasers to treat human patients with skin lesions. Since that time, lasers have been used
to reduce inflammation and speed heal- ing. However, early descriptors of the technology (e.g., low level, low power, low intensity, cool) may be less appli- cable today because many therapeutic lasers are class IV equipment (see Laser Classifications sidebar) and deliver energy at the same rate as some surgi- cal machines. “In Europe, lasers have been used in
veterinary medicine for many years,” says Margot Miller, spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association. “It’s newer to physicians and physical therapists overseas. In America, the situ- ation is exactly the reverse.” According to Miller, empirical laser
therapy studies show “better move- ment, relief of pain and no negative effects in the short term and signifi- cant improvement after an average of nine treatments.” So how does laser therapy work? The
science is straightforward. When a laser applies red or near-infrared light (i.e., light with a wavelength of 600–1,000 nm) to the body for an injury-appro- priate period of time, a photobiologi- cal reaction occurs that stimulates tis- sue regeneration, reduces swelling and decreases pain. “In some in vitro studies, the applica-
tion of light energy to specific cell cul- tures activated cell mitochondria. That resulted in an uptick in ATP production, the implication of which is increased metabolism,” says Robin Downing, DVM, DAAPM, CVA, CCRP, owner of The Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, LLC, in Windsor, Colo.,
an AAHA-accredited pain management referral practice. “Some in vivo studies used thermography and blood flow per- fusion indices to measure laser therapy results. They’ve shown increased cir- culation, decreased inflammation and reduced nerve conduction velocity fol- lowing therapeutic laser treatments.” How do you determine how long
to treat an injured area? Most lasers come with guidebooks that have treat- ment recommendations, but Miller says understanding the science behind those recommendations is a good idea. “You don’t just read the manual and go,” she says. In The Scientific Facts Concerning
Class IV Laser Therapy in Veterinary Med- icine, Ronald Riegel, DVM, cofounder of the American Institute of Medical Laser Applications, writes, “Numerous world associations of laser therapy… have long established that the tissues need 5–10 J/cm2
to elicit a biological response
within the cells.” Because dosage is measured in light
energy (joules) directed at a measured treatment area, Riegel defines the for- mula for calculating dosage as follows:
Therapeutic Dosage = (Power)(Time)/Area = J/cm2 “It is important not to confuse power
and energy, although they are closely related,” Riegel writes. “Power is the rate at which energy is delivered, not an amount of energy itself.”
Patient benefits In the right hands, veterinarians
say, therapeutic lasers produce dra- matic results. Darlene Cook, DVM, CVA, of The
Bluffs of Red Wing, A Clinic for Pets, an AAHA-accredited practice in Red Wing, Minn., is delighted with her $400 handheld machine’s ability to reduce musculoskeletal inflammation, speed wound healing, and either supplement acupuncture or replace needles when injured areas are difficult to reach.*
Trends magazine, November/December 2010
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