How Does Laser Therapy Work?
No matter what lifestyle we have, everyone suffers from pain at some point in their life. But did you know you can relieve that pain without taking drugs or invasive surgery? Laser therapy is a painless procedure in which a combination of light frequencies are used to reduce pain and promote healing.
Laser therapy is also known as a process called photobiomodulation or PBM. Laser therapy (photobiomodulation) effectively allows photons of energy to penetrate below the skin layers into the body's deep tissues. The body is then capable of accelerating the healing process at the cellular level by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation. Laser Therapy can be a complicated process to understand, so let's break it down into a six-step process.
Determining where the pain is coming from.
The first step of the laser therapy process is to determine which area you are feeling pain. Selecting the designated area allows us to discover the size of the injured area, the amount of time for each session, the specific wavelengths and duration, and the number of sessions needed. Often, we provide our clients with an estimate of how long, but in reality, if the patient is feeling relief before then, great or if they are still feeling pain, we can add on more sessions.
The laser is placed on the designated area.
Once the area of pain is determined, the process begins. The laser is known as Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation), is placed on the designated area in a continuous movement. The amount of time the laser stays in one area is determined by the injured area's size. The process can take anywhere from around thirty seconds to nine minutes. At Pain Free Life Centers, we use high intensity, high dose laser therapy, which helps heal the designated area in a much shorter time than Low-Level laser therapy. To compare the recovery time, take a look at this calculator.
The photons from the light penetrate subdermally directly to the source of pain.
After the light is emitted from the laser, the photon energy particles travel through the skin, deep into the body's tissue. This process occurs with minimal reflection and absorption. With high-intensity high-dose laser therapy, the light can directly reach the source of pain. The light that is penetrated can be absorbed by melanin, hemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, and water. The energy created through these absorptions in return turns into heat that heats the tissue beginning the overall process of energy transfer.
Energy from the light is transferred to the mitochondria within each cell.
As the light enters the body's tissue, the light is then transferred into the mitochondria of each cell in the area. Cytochrome C is found in the mitochondria, and as light absorbs, Cytochrome C is stimulated, and from there helps create an increase in ATP production.
Cytochrome C, along with other signaling molecules such as nitric oxide and reactive oxygen, works to increase cell production.
With the increased production of ATP, nitric oxide, and reactive oxygen help with inflammation. Together these molecules help increase cell proliferation, the process in which cells begin to grow and divide to replenish lost or damaged cells as well as other processes that increase blood flow and other regenerative processes.
Pain and inflammation diminish.
As these processes occur within the body, new cells form, and damaged cells are removed in a stimulated natural healing process. In return, pain and inflammation diminish.
The overall laser therapy process is complicated and may be difficult to understand if you aren't familiar with biological terms. However, the process has been proven for many years and has tremendous success.
Laser therapy is a safe procedure for anyone who is suffering from chronic or acute pain. Therefore, it is time to stop the painful injections, unnecessary surgeries, and addictive pain medications. At Pain Free Life Center, we offer a better path, and our results speak for themselves. We are so confident in what we do your initial consultation and treatment are FREE. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or have any questions or concerns, contact one of our Wellness Coordinators by emailing info@painfreelifecenters.com or calling (248) 879 1100.