What Cannot be Treated
– Can treat minor tears, but not complete tears. – Can treat fractures, but not complete breaks. – Can treat wounds as long as there’s no active bleeding. – Can’t treat eyes as the retina focus light which is what the laser is and can cause damage, which is why we always wear protective eyewear while the laser is in use. – Can’t treat in an area where cancer is present. – Can’t treat over the thy- roid. – Can’t treat over a pace maker or an electronic device, however, all metal, ceramic or other type im- plants are completely safe to treat over. For example, we treat a lot of clients who have knee replacements that still have pain after the surgery. Source: Laser Wellness Center
DEAN CURTIS FOR LIVING WELL
Chiropractor Dr. Joseph Long uses a laser to treat patients at his practice, located at 506 Hospital Drive in Mountain Home.
Patients and laser techni- cians wear glasses during treatment to protect their eyes from the light. Some patients seek treat-
ment hoping to avoid sur- gery, others have already had surgery and were dis- appointed in the results or continue to experience pain. Billie Sue Darr sought
treatment for her knee after seeing an ad in Living Well Magazine. Eight years ago she had a
total knee replacement and has been dogged by pain ever since. So in June, Darr began treatment at Laser Wellness Center and started to feel a reduction in pain after six treatments. “I highly recommend it. I
have recommended it,” Darr said. “Some people need surgery and that’s that, but there is help out there and
this helped me.” Knee replacement surger-
ies that didn’t heal properly are a common complaint amongst his patients, said Hegerman. The cost of treatment
varies because every patient has different needs. Treat- ment on an arthritic finger may take less than 5 minutes, whereas treatment for back pain can take 30 minutes. Some patients come in once a week, while others may need multiple treatments a week at first and then taper off. Another issue that affects
how soon people feel pain relief is how long they have been in pain. A long existing condition will likely take longer to receive relief. Ev- ery person is different, but on average, most should see some relief within six treat- ments, although some report
26 Living Well i September/October 2017
a significant difference soon- er, Long and Hegerman ech- oed. Palmateer set up a treat-
ment plan for her arthritis and goes to the center once a month for a “maintenance” dose to help keep her pain under control. Once a patient has been
treated, they may need a maintenance dose to keep the pain at bay. If pain re- turns, it is suggested they seek treatment immediately because the longer they wait, the more treatments they may need. Hegerman decided to
open Laser Wellness Center at the encouragement of his mother, a snowbird who discovered laser therapy in Florida. She had a whiplash injury 30 years ago which would cause a stiff neck, reduced range of motion and
on bad days, she would take a pain pill. After laser therapy, her range of motion returned and she quit taking the occa- sional pain medication. Hegerman spent months
in Florida learning the tech- nology and then came to Mountain Home to open a clinic. In order to administer therapy, a technician must be certified. When Hegerman wanted to start the clinic, he had to appear before the board of health and his tech- nician, certified through American Institute Medical Laser Application, had to first become a licensed mas- sage therapist. With this technology, peo-
ple have to rethink pain man- agement because they are used to going to a doctor. Hegerman said one of his clients had already received treatment which was effec-
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