Cold Laser Therapy 101: Is It Suitable for You?
Cold laser therapy is a relatively new procedure that has rapidly been gaining popularity all around the world, because it has been proven to be extremely effective at treating pain and discomfort in a number of areas around the body. One of the advanced clinics where cold laser therapy is offered is the Connecticut Disc and Laser Therapy Centers. Here you can be treated for degenerative disk issues, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome, spinal arthritis, and a whole host of problems related to your lower back or neck. Learn more about cold laser therapy below, so you can consider whether it might be right for you.
What exactly is cold laser therapy?
First of all, it’s called cold laser therapy to distinguish it from the powerful lasers you see in television and movies that burn right through metal. Cold lasers don’t have that kind of power, and they can safely penetrate your skin without doing any harm whatsoever. They penetrate deep into tissue to stimulate a damaged area, and speed more oxygen and blood flow to the area. This accelerates the healing process, and speeds needed nutrients to the affected area. Cold laser therapy has the ability to heal wounds faster, and to reduce pain and inflammation in any affected area.
It is sometimes referred to as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), because it uses no heat and it’s effective using a much lower level of light than the super powerful movie lasers. Whenever these light waves are administered directly to the body, they bring therapeutic light and energy to the area, and that helps speed up healing and cell repair. Cold laser therapy has also proven very effective at helping to destroy fat cells, so it has become one of the tools used to fight obesity and to help trim off unwanted pounds. It’s also far less invasive than something like liposuction would be, and it’s non-invasive nature is another reason for its burgeoning popularity.
How does it work?
Cold lasers are capable of harnessing and magnifying energy from the visible light spectrum, and of applying it to a specific area of the body. It easily penetrates through two inches of tissue if necessary, so it can deliver its benefits to a damaged area. When undergoing cold laser therapy, it may or may not be necessary for the applicator to actually touch the skin, but when it does impart the light waves, they are absorbed by the tissue, and that’s what triggers all the benefits it is capable of. The light causes a reaction in the damaged tissue, and the light waves are used as energy by the tissue to bring about accelerated healing.
When cold laser therapy is used as a treatment for weight loss, it does not operate like other treatments do, because it does not attempt to kill the fat cells themselves. Instead, it caused the fat cell pores to open up, thus draining them and shrinking them in size. Science tells us that fat cells are actually necessary because they contribute to endocrine function, metabolism, your immune response, disease prevention, and insulin regulation. Therefore, the approach taken by cold laser therapy would seem to be the healthiest way to go about weight loss.
What conditions is cold laser therapy used for?
Nowadays, cold laser therapy is used in quite a few applications, and the list is constantly growing as new ways to take advantage of its beneficial qualities are discovered. Because it is able to penetrate the skin without harming it, and it can speed up the healing process, there are literally endless ways it can be used therapeutically. It’s often used to manage pain from minor injuries you’ve sustained, including strained ligaments or muscle strains and sprains. It is frequently recommended by physical therapists who are aware of its healing properties.
Chronic pain issues can also be helped immensely by the usage of cold lase therapy. It is often used to treat chronic pain in the neck, shoulders, knees, and lower back. Carpal tunnel patients and those suffering from fibromyalgia can also be helped by using cold laser therapy. When combined with specific exercises, the process can deliver significant relief to chronic pain sufferers.
People who are suffering from autoimmune disorders are commonly helped by cold laser therapy, because it excels at reducing inflammation in the target area. It is also used to treat all kinds of skin disorders, including rosacea, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. It has even been used as a replacement for acupuncture, which traditionally applies needles to certain areas of the body to stimulate tissue. Cold laser therapy can successfully be substituted for the needles, and it accomplishes the same kind of stimulation and healing.
