Cold Laser Therapy, also called Photobiomodulation or Low-Level Laser Therapy, uses a laser that does not produce heat.
Photobiomodulation has found to be successful in treating pain and swelling, and to speed healing in muscles, tendons, skin, and other soft tissue. It also has been used as an alternative to needles for acupuncture treatments. The idea that light has curative properties is widespread in modern culture.
Light is essential to almost all life forms: plants draw their energy directly from solar radiation by means of photosynthesis and light regulates the biological rhythms of the majority of living beings. Today it has been scientifically proven that certain light emissions are able to effectively transfer energy to animal cells and tissue. Areas subject to a poor metabolism recover full activity and the ailing tissue is cured following treatment. The depth within the tissue reached by the light emission depends on the incidental radiation wavelength. The reason lies in the presence of specific superficial chromophores (molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy) that present areas of maximum absorption in correspondence to particular wavelength intervals, which will therefore be filtered and not reach the deepest tissue layers. The interval between 600 and 1200 nm is known as the ‘therapeutic window’ because there are no chromophores in this range able to filter the light emission, so the light passes through to the deeper tissues. The wavelengths of the emissions from our therapy laser fall into this precise interval, meaning that they are able to reach the deepest anatomical structures that are often involved in the ailments that laser therapy is most suitable for treating. Other wavelengths would not have the same effect.
Conditions that laser therapy has shown to be effective in treating: Wounds and abrasions, muscle spasms, strains and sprains, ligament and tendon injuries, hematomas and gross edema, osteoarthritis, acute and chronic pain, myofascial trigger points, non-union and small bone fractures, neuralgia and neuritis and muscle contractures/scar tissue.
Laser therapy sessions are painless, and relatively quick. The laser is applied directly to the skin, or near the skin, and the duration and intensity of treatment varies depending on what is being treated and how deep into the tissue the laser needs to go. There is no need for the fur to be clipped or for the dog to be sedated. During sessions, your pet typically will not feel anything at the time, but will often feel comfort following treatment. Very infrequently, pets are more tender for 6-24 hours after treatment, but more often they experience immediate relief from treatment.
