High Power Laser Therapy
What is High Intensity Laser Therapy?
High intensity laser therapy is a gentle, pain free. manual therapy offered at Erica Dash Podiatry.
Laser light therapy is able to penetrate deep through soft tissue, muscle and even bone to deliver healing light energy to the cells of the body.
The team at Erica Dash Podiatry use it to help patients with pain management and reduce inflammation enabling them return to the activities they love faster.
High power laser therapy (HPL) reduces pain and inflammation with no side effects, unlike medications, such as NSAIDs which with long term use can effect the gut and liver.
It also does not effect the integrity of the ligament, tendon or fascia which cortisone injections may do.
The majority of patients report long lasting relief after only a couple of treatments.
Depending on the complexity of the condition, the number of treatments required will vary from patient to patient.
How does High Power Laser Therapy Work?
Laser therapy is a medical treatment that uses focused, near infrared laser light to stimulate a process called photobiomodulation.
When the laser is activated, it generates a beam close to an infrared frequency.
This beam, when absorbed by your body’s cells, triggers a biological cascade of events, resulting in an intensified generation of cellular energy.
With this enhanced energy, the body can handle inflammation better and improve the cleaning up of damaged cells.
This results in increased blood flow, a decrease in inflammation, and improved healing.
How does High Power Laser Therapy differ from Low Level Laser Therapy?
Low Level Laser Therapy
Low level laser therapy emits an output of power of less than 0.5 Watts.
Low level laser therapy does not produce any heat on the skin and is often referred to as cold laser.
Cold laser therapy does have several disadvantages.
Patients using cold lasers don’t usually get full relief or resolution from their pain symptoms after the first treatment, this is because it does not penetrate deep tissues.
It takes a series of treatments, usually 8 to 30, depending on the severity and duration of the condition.
Patients often have to return to their therapist for treatments at least 2 to 4 times per week.
High Power Laser Therapy
High intensity laser emits a controlled laser light greater than 0.5 watts up to 25 watts.
Erica Dash Podiatry’s high intensity laser generates a gentle heat at the skins surface and allows deep tissue penetration which treats all kinds of musculoskeletal disorders.
It is a gentle therapy, and when coupled with other therapies such as dry needling or shockwave therapy can provide fast relief to sporting injuries.
High power laser therapy relieves chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions such as:
- Knee osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Chronic low back pain
- Heel spurs
- Achilles tendinopathies
- Plantar fasciitis
- Bunions
- Morton’s neuromas
High intensity laser therapy is also a therapeutic treatment option for acute and sub-acute injuries such as ankle sprains, torn cartilage and ligaments, stress and avulsion fractures as it is an excellent physical therapy to remove pain and inflammation.
What are the Benefits of Laser Therapy?
- Accelerated Tissue Repair and Cell Growth
- Pain Reduction
- Anti – Inflammation
- Analgesic Effect of Trigger Points and Acupuncture Points
- Increased Vascularity (blood flow)
- Improved Nerve Function and Healing
Who benefits from High Intensity Laser Therapy?
High intensity laser therapy benefits anyone suffering with acute injury all the way through to chronic pain.
Laser therapy is an effective, painless, non invasive conservative treatment now available at Erica Dash Podiatry for all foot, ankle, knee and lower limb pain.
It increases the mobility of the area being treated so you can enjoy movement again.
When treating acute conditions with laser therapy, it is highly effective if we are able to treat the injury as soon as possible.
This is because the faster the inflammation is reduced, the quicker the body can begin healing itself. F
or this reason, high intensity laser therapy is the preferred treatment choice for sporting teams and athletes alike.
High intensity laser therapy is used to assist in pain management and the healing of the following lower limb conditions:
- Acute injuries such as ankle sprains, muscle tears, soft tissue damage, sporting injuries and shin splints
- Chronic conditions such as runner’s knee, foot, ankle and knee arthritis, knee osteoarthritis, hip bursitis, Morton’s neuroma and myofascial pain syndrome.
- Overuse issues such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathies.
- Growing pains such as Osgood Schlatter’s disease and Sever’s disease.
- High intensity laser therapy is an excellent treatment choice for anyone suffering musculoskeletal pain.
How Many Treatments will I Require?
High intensity laser therapy is a fast way of relieving pain.
Depending on the injury, it can take as few as one to three treatments to enhance healing and relieve strains, sprains and tendinopathies.
For more chronic injuries such as arthritis and knee osteoarthritis high intensity laser therapy will require a few sessions closer together then ongoing at a six to eight week cadence for pain relief.
High intensity laser therapy works faster when used with other treatment modalities such as dry needling and / or shockwave therapy making it an excellent physical therapy when suffering a painful injury.
Does High Intensity Laser Therapy hurt?
High intensity laser therapy is not painful, the laser light is near infra red and all you should feel is a gentle warmth.
You are required to wear goggles to protect your eyes from the laser light amplification.
What does Laser Therapy feel like?
Erica Dash Podiatry’s laser can be set to deliver anywhere between 0.5 watts all the way up to 25 watts of output power, which means you may feel little or no sensation during the therapy session if we are treating low and slow, or a gentle warmth if set to maximum intensity.
All patients receiving laser therapy report it as an enjoyable experience.
How Long Does a Treatment Usually Take?
Depending on the area being treated, laser therapy takes usually between 5 – 10 minutes.
High intensity lasers are able to deliver deep tissue penetration in a very short space of time and provide lasting pain relief.
High Intensity Laser Therapy is the treatment of choice for anyone suffering with musculoskeletal disorders whether acute injury or chronic pain conditions.
Laser For Fungal
The team at Erica Dash Podiatry choose ‘Pinpointe Laser” to treat your fungal nails. Laser therapy is a safe, non-invasive, painfree and effective treatment option for nail fungus.
Orthotics
If you experience foot, knee or leg pain in your daily activities then a professionally fitted custom orthotic could be the answer to your foot problems.
Dry Needling
Dry needle therapy can be very effective in treating a range of conditions including chronic muscle pain, neuromuscular problems, and sports injuries.
Schedule Your Appointment
Erica Dash Podiatry is family friendly treating a wide range of foot and leg complaints of patients of any age or stage of life - See All Podiatrists
Call us at 02 4367 0177 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your podiatry appointment today!