When you have pain in your back, neck, or joints due to injuries, arthritis, or other causes, you have many options for relief. Your health care provider may recommend cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy, for pain management. Cold laser therapy is an effective treatment that reduces inflammation by stimulating your body’s natural healing ability. Here’s what you should know about it.

How Does Cold Laser Therapy Work?

As the name implies, cold laser therapy doesn’t heat tissue. Instead, a chiropractor applies low levels of light at different wavelengths to the targeted area to alleviate pain. As it absorbs light, damaged tissue is destroyed, and new tissue is subsequently regenerated. Unlike other laser therapies designed to destroy tissue with heat, such as those used to eliminate tumors, you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during treatment. You’ll feel the device on your skin but no burning sensations or aches. 

What Conditions Does Cold Laser Therapy Treat?

Cold laser therapy is an effective pain management therapy for a wide range of conditions, including sprains, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle spasms, and pain in the lower back, neck, and knees. It’s also effective in reducing the inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

Some dermatologists use cold laser therapy to treat acne, acne scarring, psoriasis, and burns. It’s also used to speed the healing of wounds in people with diabetes. 

Who Should Have Cold Laser Therapy?

Anyone who has chronic pain should consider speaking with their chiropractor or health care provider about cold laser therapy as a pain management option. It’s noninvasive and is often used in conjunction with other therapies because it doesn’t have any serious side effects.

A course of treatment, however, may require eight to 30 visits over several weeks to be effective, and it’s not recommended for pregnant women.

If you have questions about cold laser therapy and are thinking about incorporating it into your pain management program, talk with the compassionate professionals at Midwest Spine Center in Fort Dodge, IA. Focused on providing natural, effective treatments, their chiropractic team treats a wide range of issues, including back pain, arthritis, sciatica, scoliosis, and sports injuries, helping clients live without pain. Call (515) 576-1176 to schedule an appointment today, or visit their website to learn more about their practice.