If you are suffering from long-term or chronic pain, you are not alone. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 50 million people in America also suffer from ongoing and never-ending pain. And if you have been searching for chronic pain treatment without any luck, we have good news for you! Cold laser therapy has been shown to be very effective in pain management! And there’s a cold laser therapy clinic near you!
What in the world is “Cold Laser Therapy for Pain?”
Cold laser therapy, referred to in the medical world as “low-level laser therapy (LLLT),” is much weaker than its “hot” counterpart. Highly advanced hot therapy lasers are used in complicated surgical procedures that need precision to cut through or burn skin.
But, as the Healthline Website explains, “cold” lasers use low levels of light to stimulate healing. These cold lasers never get hot enough to heat body tissue. And today, the cold laser therapy benefits are great: treatments are being used for everything from hair and tattoo removal, to treating acute and chronic pain, becoming an important tool in pain management.
Who is using cold laser therapy to treat pain?
People of all ages and of varying levels of health are using cold therapy to treat their pain.
Athletes are using cold therapy to treat such ailments as ankle sprains, sore muscles, and pain resulting from bone spurs. Cold laser therapy is being used in children to treat muscle and spine abnormalities.
And older men and women suffering from chronic back and neck pain, arthritis, and osteoporosis are finding long-term relief they never experienced before from cold laser therapy.
Laser Therapy For Pain – How’s it work?
Chronic pain means pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks, and the types of chronic pain and chronic pain symptoms can vary. But, for people with chronic pain, cold therapy can be used in many ways:
- Cold lasers can be administered directly to the trouble area or areas in single or multiple sessions.
- The therapy can be coupled with physical therapy to reduce muscle pain after sessions.
- It can even be used to reduce or replace harmful or potentially addictive narcotics and other pain relief drugs that cause side effects.
Is cold laser therapy for pain safe?
We have more good news!
The U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration has approved cold therapy to treat chronic pain for both in-office and at-home use. However, because we are still learning about the therapy and its long-term side effects, we recommend that you get cold laser therapy administered by a qualified – and well-trained – health care provider.
Wait – side effects? What side effects?
Don’t worry: since cold therapy has been available, there have been no short-term side effects detected. But because the treatment is still new, cold laser therapy research has mostly looked at the short-term side effects. Also, patients who may be pregnant or who may suffer from certain skin cancers should speak with their doctor before getting cold laser treatment therapy because it’s still uncertain how the therapy could affect you.
But is it painful?
Treatments last from 5-10 minutes each session, and patients have described the treatments as being “gentle” to “soothing warm.” We have not had any complaints of pain or discomfort during or following the treatment – even from children!
When will I feel results?
Results from the cold laser treatment will vary and are based on the severity of the pain. Some patients claimed they felt immediate relief while others needed multiple treatments to feel results. Regardless, you should work with your health care provider to develop a treatment plan that will work best for you and your needs.
In conclusion: there’s a lot of good news coming out there for patients using cold laser therapy for chronic pain. It’s safe, painless, quick, and has no side effects.
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