We have a Class IV Deep Tissue Healing Laser at our office by LiteCure. It is the top of the line, 25-watt version from a company leading the pack in studying and producing effective lasers. If you are a patient receiving laser, you will feel a painless, warming sensation exactly where the wand is focused. You might say that I barely feel it, but I can tell it's doing something important. Then it typically leaves you noticing a significant relief for around 12 hours.
Since you clicked the link, you want to know more about the laser. Read on to get great details about what research says is going on in the relieving and healing process of Class IV Deep Tissue Healing Laser Therapy.
Laser photons, produced at a specific wavelength of energy (in the near infrared spectrum from 800 nm to 980 nm in wavelength), are mainly absorbed by three elements in living human tissue: water, red blood cells, and mitochondria. When the energy is absorbed and stimulates, the tissue does its job more and faster.
Water
Made up of two hydrogens and an oxygen, water’s chemical structure resonates when exposed to the right wavelength and causes local heating and a temperature gradient to be produced. This temperature gradient makes blood cells flow much like a magnet can push or pull with invisible fields. The stronger and more numerous the gradients, the more local circulation is stimulated. Water absorbs the highest level of photons that are around 980 nm.
Red Blood Cells
These cells that travel through the bloodstream, absorb oxygen from the lungs, carry it on hemoglobin molecules, and then deliver it to our body’s tissues. Hemoglobin contains iron and iron is another element that is reactive to near infrared laser light. It is targeted with a broad range of photons from 800 to 980 nm in wavelength.
Mitochondria
This is the energy producing powerhouse and director of operations located inside the nucleus of our tissue cells. When functioning properly, mitochondria produce ATP, our body’s energy currency. They also signal other individual cells to heal, reproduce, grow, or even die off. Mitochondria contain copper and copper is an element that is reactive to near infrared laser light. Target wavelength for mitochondria is around 800 nm.
Summary
Laser therapy stimulates three things: 1) blood to flow more rapidly 2) blood cells to pick up and drop off oxygen more easily and 3) cells to produce energy and signal healing more efficiently.
The body does most of the work itself and so the target for an effective laser treatment is NOT the pathology itself, but rather the healers around it to perform the body’s natural repair mechanisms.
Laser therapy, when combined with precise manual treatment will help us get you better, faster!