Pain management is really a field where many practitioners get frustrated. In our clinic we view it all the time as most of the more difficult cases can be found in after they have seen everyone else and a chiropractor is their final resort. Chronic pain doesn't always mean that we must do more, sometimes what seems like an extremely little treatment can produce marvelous results.
Take laser therapy for example; this can be a popular treatment now from from foot fungus to weight loss. Now personally I haven't seen the studies that it's effective for all of the many uses folks are finding for it but I know from the research and from my own clinical experience that it's an effective therapy for pain management in conjunction with a few of the more traditional methods like physical therapy, chiropractic, acute injury and chronic injury management protocols and dynamic neuromuscular stabilization.
Lasers for use in pain therapy are beginning to gain recognition in this country. The FDA cleared Low Level Laser Therapy for used in pain, inflammation, and wound healing in 2002; however, some great benefits of LLLT have already been recognized and successfully used overseas for many years. Studies have shown LLLT to reduce neck and back pain by around 70% without known side effects.
The theory may be the laser excites the targeted cells in the injured tissue, causing the cells to send out a signal that healing needs to take place in your community being treated. This signal travels throughout the bloodstream, connective tissues, and nervous system to significantly increase your body's response and healing time. Interestingly, researchers also have found that LLLT boosts healing through the entire body, not just in your community being treated.
Many would be surprised to learn that more is not better in terms of LLLT; the effective dose is quite small. Typical treatments may take as little as five minutes and are administered several times per week over a training course of two to three weeks for maximum and lasting effect. In our clinic it is one of the used modalities. Often patient respond quickly with reduced subjective complaints, decreased muscle spasm, and increased ROM of the affected area. For anyone who is experiencing carpal tunnel, neck and low back pain, tendonitis, knee pain or a variety of painful conditions, give laser therapy a go to see if it's right for you.