Cold lasers, also known as low level lasers, have been utilized throughout Europe for decades. While new to the United States, decades of worldwide cold laser use have produced few, if any, widely reported of side effects to date. Cold lasers do not significantly heat or damage tissue. They are very different than the cutting lasers used in surgery or hair removal.
Light therapy is not a new concept. The sun's photonic rays cause a seed to sprout through RNA and DNA changes. The sun's rays are full-spectrum light, which means many wavelengths are present (400-800 Nanometers), but only one specific wavelength, or frequency, causes the seeds to germinate. In 1924 Bose and Einstein, great men of science, predicted the Laser. Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
When the body has an injury the cells are damaged and fail to function within normal parameters. Low level lasers from the Cold Laser machine penetrate deeply into the skin and work by restoring this abnormal cellular function. Cold Laser uses a non-heat producing light laser, which is locked at a specific wavelength that is optimal for treatment and can penetrate deeply into tissue. Many doctors use the comparison of taking a sick plant and putting it out in the sun in describing how they believe laser light helps to heal tissue in the human body. Laser light penetrates the body and is thought to stimulate metabolic process in the body.
Erchonia PL is a low frequency laser, with a very specific (630-640) 635 Nanometer wavelength. The frequencies are the pulsations that can be programmed in by the doctor for different purposes (i.e., muscle growth, inflammation, etc.). The PL 5000 has two laser heads with the capacity to distribute four frequencies at the same time. It uses coherent light, which is light traveling in the same direction at the same wavelength.
Cold Laser Therapy has been shown to significantly accelerate and enhance the body's natural defense and repair abilities when injured. By reducing the duration of inflammation as well as enhancing specific repair and healing process, Cold Laser Therapy has been proven to provide pain relief, reduce damage due to the injury and loss of function. Cold Laser Therapy enables the body to have a more rapid repair and stronger tissues once healed.
Accelerated healing, the primary goal for any kind of injury, is hard to demonstrate in one laser session. However, your chiropractor can demonstrate the ability to increase your range of motion (ROM) and increase muscle strength by testing you before and after the laser treatment. By increasing your ROM, you are preserving the function and structure of your cartilage and discs. Movement brings vital nutrients and fluids to cartilage and discs. The muscle strength test is performed in order to test nerve root function, not just muscle performance. Restored muscle strength actually indicates that the nerve root has been reactivated.