Laser Therapy Effective for Reducing Spinal Pain

A review in the journal The Lancet concludes that low level laser therapy treatment (that big white cool-looking machine in the corridor of the clinic) reduces active pain immediately, and chronic pain for up to 22 weeks, especially when paired with physical treatment.  This compares very favorably to other forms of therapy for problems like neck pain – particularly painkiller therapies. Laser therapy, properly linked with chiropractic manipulation and therapeutic massage, is something we have available and is clearly now state-of-the-art. (I told you so.)  Not all carriers will reimburse for cold laser, but even then, it is a minimal addition to a treatment, especially if it can extend the results.   The treatment is painless and can add 10-12 minutes to your active treatment.

Researchers identified 16 randomized, controlled trials suitable for inclusion after conducting a comprehensive database search that included Medline (January 1966 – July 2008), Embase (January 1980 – July 2008), Cinahl (January 1982 – July 2008), the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (January 1929 – July 2008), Biosis (January 1926 – July 2008), Allied and Complementary Medicine (January 1985 – July 2008), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (second quarter of 2008).

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2809%2961522-1/abstract