If you’ve searched for chronic pain treatment, then ads for cold laser therapy have likely showed up on your Facebook feed and in other places. They promise a pain-free way to treat your pain without any side effects. 

You might even see ads that claim cold laser therapy can be used to sculpt your body, rid you of blemishes, and treat hair loss as well as help with arthritic inflammation and back pain.

But what is cold laser therapy? Is it the same as low level laser therapy? And does it work?

What is Low Level Laser Therapy?

Low level laser therapy (LLLT) and cold laser therapy are the same thing. It’s called “cold” due to the fact the lasers for these treatments use lower power outputs and do not generate any significant heat when treating tissue. You might even see it referred to as “lower-power laser therapy”, “soft laser biostimulation”, or “photobiomodulation (PGM)”. But in our office, we simply call it cold laser therapy.

Cold laser therapy is essentially a phototherapy that employs a handheld device which stimulates your body’s natural healing processes. 

The light itself, depending on the cold laser device, is red or near-infrared. The red light, which is visible, uses the 600-700 nanometer (nm) wavelength and has been found to be useful in treating skin issues, lymphatic issues, and wounds. 

Near-infrared light has a wavelength of 700-1,000 nm and is invisible to the eye. This light penetrates deeper, making it more useful for chiropractic care since it can treat muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, and even nerve tissues. For this reason it’s widely used to control inflammation, promote healing, and reduce pain.

Some cold laser therapy devices use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) alongside cold lasers. The combination of the two allows the device to work on tissue at different depths.

Does cold laser therapy work?

The short answer is yes. 

But it depends on what cold laser therapy is being used to treat and a few considerations.

“Low level laser or light therapy is widely used to control inflammation, promote healing and reduce pain,” says Dr. Smith. “The mechanism currently accepted is the stimulation of the mitochondria within the cells to stimulate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and resulting in gene transcription.” 

However, Dr. Smith points out, the primary factor to its effectiveness is how far the laser is able to penetrate into tissue.

“While widely accepted as effective and safe, the issues that arise are of penetration,” Dr. Smith says. “It’s similar to holding a flashlight against your fingers. The penetration is limited. There’s less penetration for low level light therapy and greater for low level laser.  The condition and its depth will directly affect the outcomes. Due to the lack of risk, clinical trials can be appropriate for many conditions.” 

 Is there cold laser therapy in Klamath Falls?

Yes!

Dr. Smith’s office is just off South 6th Street on Radcliffe Avenue near downtown Klamath Falls. 

To learn more about low level laser therapy’s benefits and how it can fit with your chiropractic care plan, make an appointment with Dr. Smith. He can discuss its effectiveness for your chronic pain or other chiropractic conditions with you so you can decide if it’s right for you.