What is a Laser?
LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification By Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Light created in this way, is then culminated and directed into an intense beam of coherent light through the use of cathode and anode reflecting components in order to produce a single stable frequency. According to Webster’s Dictionary, lasers are coherent or marked by logical consistency. A low energy laser emits a coherent light, generated at a precise and stable frequency and in a focused direction.
What is a low energy laser?
Unlike high power lasers that use heat and destroy tissue, low energy lasers affect the cellular energy of the underlying tissue. Hot lasers have a thermal effect and an output of 1mw or above. The low energy lasers used at Hand & Upper Extremity Rehabilitation do not have a thermal effect on tissue. Low energy lasers that stimulate biological function have an output below 10mw- milliwatts (ten-one thousands of a watt).
What is low energy laser therapy?
It refers to the modality of applying a low energy laser to tissue that stimulates cellular processes and thereby enhances biochemical reactions. For example, studies show that low energy light therapy increases production of ATP in the mitochondria of the cell. Since more energy is now available, the cell may utilize this fuel to function or operate more efficiently.
How does low energy laser therapy work?
Many theories exist as to the mechanism of the action for low energy light therapy. Energy is absorbed by the photoreceptor sites on the cell membrane, which trigger a secondary messenger to initiate a cascade of intracellular signals that initiate, inhibit or accelerate biological processes such as wound healing, inflammation or pain management.
What conditions can be treated?
Low energy laser therapy has been successfully used to treat many conditions such as acute and chronic pain, repetitive use disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome, soft tissue strains and sprains, inflammation to enhance wound healing and for cell regeneration.
Are there any side effects to low energy laser therapy?
There are over 1500 published studies and not one of them mentions any negative side effects from low energy light therapy. Low energy lasers are safe, non-toxic and non-invasive. There are some necessary common sense precautions that need to be considered, such as avoiding pointing the laser beam directly in the eye and maintaining it there.
What makes one laser different from another?
A laser can differ in its wavelength, power source or whether it is a continuous or pulsed waveform. The first lasers were used to cut, cauterize or ablate tissue. They were classified as “hot” lasers. The “cold” lasers or low energy lasers are used at Hand & Upper Extremity Rehabilitation enhance metabolic activity at the cellular level through non-thermal reactions.
What is a wavelength? Why do the different wavelengths matter?
Light is measured in wavelengths and is expressed in units of nanometers (nm). Different wavelengths have different energy levels and can have various effects on tissue. Radiation has a wavelength of 230 nanometers and has an ionizing effect on cells that can be harmful even in small doses. The wavelength for low level energy therapy is 830 nanometers, which enhances cellular metabolism with damaging the tissue.
What is the difference between Lasers and LED’s (light emitting diodes)?
Lasers are monochromatic (single color wavelength), collimated (non-divergent) and coherent (wavelengths in phase). LED’s are neither coherent nor collimated and generate a broader band of wavelengths (multiple). Another significant difference between the two is the power output. The peak power output of lasers is measured in watts, while that of LED’s, is measured in milliwatts. LED’s usually have a 50% cycle. They are “on” 50% of the time and “off” 50% of the time.
Do you need FDA clearance to use the low energy laser?
Yes. The low energy laser used at Hand & Upper Extremity Rehabilitation was approved use in February of 2002.
How long are treatments?
The protocol approved by the FDA for use with carpal tunnel syndrome was to deliver 36 joules of energy, three times a week for five weeks. The laser treatment takes between five and ten minutes at each treatment session. Your therapist will recommend additional activities and each treatment session will last approximately one hour.
How long does the treatment last?
A treatment plan may vary depending the symptoms of each individual. The protocol approved by the FDA recommends three days a week for five weeks.
Hand & Upper Extremity Rehabilitation
305 Regency Parkway, Suite 605, Mansfield, TX 76063
Arlington: (817) 861-7600 | Mansfield: (817) 473-1650
Fax: (817) 861 - 7601
