What is Laser therapy? And how does it work?

​You might have heard your clinician speaking about ‘laser therapy’ as a potential treatment to help you with an ache or an injury you are struggling with. If so, you may have questions such as, “what is laser therapy?”, “how does laser therapy work?” and maybe more importantly, “will laser therapy hurt?”! We’re going to answer all your questions in this blog. 

Firstly – what is laser therapy?
 
Therapeutic laser utilises the power of light, usually infra-red or near-infrared, to stimulate the cells in your body. Your clinician/therapist will use their laser over the area of pain or injury delivering light directly to the cells.
 
So how does laser therapy work?
 
When certain cells (mostly cytochrome c oxidase) absorb the light from a therapeutic laser there is an increase in energy (ATP) at a cellular level meaning the cells work harder to heal damaged tissues.  Think of laser as being like a can of Red Bull or an espresso coffee for your cells – it safely and effectively allows them function at a higher level, doing their jobs more efficiently. In addition to this, research has shown that laser can reduce and slow down the ‘pain messages’ in your nerves so you feel less pain and it also helps to reduce the number of pro-inflammatory cells in the area treated, resulting in a reduction in inflammatory processes. For swelling, laser helps to stimulate the lymphatic system to flush through fluid, reducing oedema. Laser also helps to increase the circulation to the area it’s used on leading to an increase in supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. As you can tell, laser works in lots of different ways to get you feeling better faster!
 
Will laser therapy hurt?
 
No! Laser therapy should not be painful. There are lots of different laser devices and all clinicians should have been properly trained in the safe use of the one they have. At Teesside Podiatry Clinic we are fully trained in the use of MLS®️ Laser Therapy which is a non-thermal laser - this means there is absolutely no risk of any harmful effects. The MLS® device uses a patented laser pulse technology to deliver high power completely safely, meaning we can give you extremely effective yet completely safe treatments.
 
What can laser therapy be used for?
 
Our MLS®️ laser is used to treat all kinds of aches and pains. If you have any form of pain, inflammation, swelling or tissue damage, laser could be a very helpful treatment option for you. Laser can be useful in the treatment of:
 
Tendonitis
Plantar Fasciitis
Arthritis
Bursitis
Swelling/oedema
Sprains/strains
Back pain
Sciatica
Wounds

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