Published on August 21, 2009
New Cold Laser Therapy at TRCH helps selective patients with chronic pain
Patients
needing physical or occupational therapy at Three Rivers Community Hospital
Rehabilitation have a new option thanks to a technological breakthrough: Low
Level Light Therapy (LLLT). Also called cold laser, it uses focused light energy
on a small area to stimulate circulation and reduce inflammation. It is
especially useful in treating soft tissue injury, chronic pain, and wound
healing.
Bart Shields, manager, outpatient therapy,
noted that the device has been very successful in treating shoulder, elbow,
wrist, and hand injuries, especially when combined with traditional exercises
for increasing range of motion and strengthening.
"Like all electrotherapy procedures, it does
not fix everything, but it is a great tool to have in your toolbox," says
Shields.
Though high tech, it is not high cost and
there is no extra charge to patients undergoing a therapy program.
Considered somewhat
controversial at first, cold laser is quickly converting skeptics and is now
viewed as a breakthrough in therapy. A 2006 study at Bergen University, Norway,
found cold laser to be as effective or better than non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Ibuprofen) and, "Results of nine trials were
significantly in favor of photoradiation (cold laser)." The researchers
concluded that cold laser does, "Significantly reduce acute inflammatory pain
in clinical settings." Other studies have found cold laser to promote healing
in tendons and muscle tissue as well.
How it works exactly is
still being debated, but experts believe the process is photochemical rather
than heat related. Inside our cells, mitochondria convert molecules of sugar,
fatty acids and amino acids to energy in the form of Adenosine triphosphate
(ATP), considered the energy "coin" of the cell. When bathed in cold laser (wavelengths in the
600-1000 nm range), mitochondria absorb the light and convert it to ATP. The
resulting surplus of ATP can trigger a number of beneficial effects including
reduced inflammation, improved blood flow, protein and enzyme synthesis, as
well as cell replication and repair.
"This has really worked for
me," says Sandy Sandys, RN, a nurse at Three Rivers Community Hospital. Sandys
was recovering from thumb surgery and was having a lot of wrist pain. She was
concerned about being able to do all the
chart writing that is required for her job.
Jeanne Powell, occupational
therapist and hand specialist, tried several therapies, but after weeks of
treatments, her wrist pain continued. Powell suggested they try the cold laser.
Using a wand shaped like a garden sprayer, Powell
directed cold light laser to the area of inflammation on Sandys's wrist.
Because the energy is low level, it only affects cells in a small path, and
Powell could target the specific area where there was pain.
"There was a dramatic
reduction in wrist pain after just one treatment," says Powell.
To
learn more about therapies available at TRCH Outpatient Rehabilitation, call 541-956-6225.