LOW LEVEL LIGHT THERAPY – LLLT – “COLD LASER”
– Non-painful treatment.
– Simple, fast and effective.
– Many Insurances cover, or low self-pay as an addition to Chiropractic Treatment.
– Neck Pain, Tendonitis, Frozen Shoulder, Tennis Elbow, Shin Splints, Trigger Points, TMJ, Carpal Tunnel, Fibromyalgia, Myofascial pain, Wound healing, Scar recovery, Strain and Sprain, acute and chronic joint pain.
WHY ADD LIGHT THERAPY?
With Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT) we can treat acute and chronic pain conditions and trigger points, tendonitis, myofascial pain sites, and chronic joint pain in a way we had not been able to before. This system has been extraordinarily well-received. Light Therapy is very non-invasive, and it is covered by insurance. Typically at Blue Heron Chiropractic, we apply LLLT in combination with Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy rather than as a primary therapeutic modality.
The Dynatronics Solaris D890 Therapy Probe incorporates one laser diode emitting a wavelength of 875 nm and 3 red diodes emitting a wavelength of 660nm with a maximum power output of 625 mW. The Solaris D880plus Infrared Cluster Probe uses 32 infrared superluminous diodes emitting a wavelength of 880nm and 4 red diodes emitting a wavelength of 660nm. The differences in LLLT units lies in the power with which the light is delivered. The D880plus Probe has a maximum power output of 1000 mW compared to the maximum output power of a 500 mW probe thus reducing treatment time to 30 seconds per burst, which is then typically repeated several times per session.
Several pathways are proposed to explain the results with light therapy, but the bottom line is that this therapy may be useful to you.
Light Therapy is backed by extensive research with over 1000 published studies covering a number of soft-tissue injuries, pain, and inflammatory conditions. These include more than 150 positive, double blind clinical studies (12), hundreds of positive in vitro studies, lots of animal studies, all pointing in one direction – Low Level Light Therapy can work. Since Light and Laser therapy works at a cellular level by improving the activity of cells in a reduced condition, many conditions can be improved with the addition of LLLT therapy.
Being skeptical is a good scientific quality and accepting a paradigm shift takes a lot of documentation! As early as 2003, there were more than 50 different medical indications described in the literature, and 18 in the list of double blind studies. Since that time, positive research has proliferated, and LLLT is an accepted modality.
At Blue Heron Chiropractic, we are using cluster probes with superluminous light emitting diodes (SLEDs or SLDs) as the active sources. Cluster probes often pair infrared diodes together with laser diodes. The type of light we apply is a combination of red and far-red light using an SLD multi-probe. We are typically applying non-coherent, continuous or pulsed light. In the clinic, on request, we can provide you details on the wavelengths involved.
HOW THE TREATMENT IS APPLIED
Typically, we will want to treat as many as three times a week for an acute condition, but one treatment a week may be appropriate for a chronic condition – the problem will determine the frequency. It is rather common to start a treatment series with two or three sessions per week and then after some time go down to one treatment per week. In the clinical situation, the intervals can be related to the patient’s response.
ANY CONTRAINDICATIONS
With the power of the light being applied, the contraindications are relatively low. We always wear protective glasses during therapy sessions to be thorough. Light therapy is a relative contraindication in persons with a history of malignant cancer and we consider it contraindicated in patients with any history of Melanoma or with other localized skin cancers. We will take a thorough history prior to starting this therapy.
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