Science Behind Laser Therapy

When people first hear of laser therapy, they are often skeptical.  Many patients tilt their head to the side, lift an eyebrow and give me the “look.”  You know the one.  The one that says, “yeah right.”

I get it.

It can be hard to believe that shining a laser light onto the surface of your skin can heal years of chronic pain.  Yet, it is possible.  In fact, high intensity laser therapy has already helped thousands of people all over the world recover from injuries, regain mobility, and live a life free from chronic pain.  This article will help you to understand the science behind the healing properties of laser therapy for pain.

How Lasers Promote Healing – the Power of Light

The example I use most often when introducing laser therapy to patients is drawing a parallel between laser therapy and photosynthesis.  Most of us learned about photosynthesis in elementary school science class.  You might not fully remember the details of the chemical process that occurs when a plant is exposed to sunlight, but you do know (and believe) that sunlight enables a plant to grow and thrive.

Put simply, during photosynthesis, a plant converts the light energy from the sun into chemical energy to fuel growth.

Though humans don’t photosynthesize, there are other examples of chemical reactions within our bodies fueled by light energy.

When we are exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun, a few things occur.  Skin cells produce melanin.  Melanin absorbs UV light and acts as a natural sunscreen. When you see a suntan, you’re seeing the increased production of melanin.  However, overexposure to UV rays can result in a different chemical reaction – the toxic reaction that we know as sunburn.

Another chemical reaction that occurs when we are exposed to sunlight is not so easy for us to detect.  Skin cells also convert the ultraviolet light energy from the sun into Vitamin D3.  Less exposure to sunshine in winter months results in lower levels of Vitamin D in our bodies. This lack of Vitamin D is thought to be linked to a variety of conditions including: Seasonal Affective Disorder, depression, and increased risk for respiratory illnesses, such as the flu.

Healing lasers work in a similar manner.  When exposed to specific levels of infrared laser light, your body converts that light energy into chemical energy to fuel cell growth and healing.

It’s not a matter of “believing” that laser therapy delivers healing and pain relief any more than “believing” in photosynthesis or sunburns.  It’s a matter of understanding the science behind this effective chronic pain treatment. For those of you who want to dive more deeply into this topic, read on.

Laser Therapy or Photobiomodulation?

Laser therapy has gone by a variety of names since it was first introduced in Europe in the 1960s: laser therapy, low level laser therapy (LLLT), low power laser therapy, high intensity laser therapy (HILT), high power laser therapy, and biostimulation, to name a few.  Most recently, photobiomodulation (PBM) has become the preferred term among scientists.

If we break down the term “photobiomodulation,” we can get an idea of why it is the preferred name.  “Photo” comes from the Greek word for light.  “Bio” is also from the Greeks. “Bios” means the course of human life.  “Modulation” which has its roots in Latin, means to alter, change, or adapt.

If you put it all together, it roughly translates to “light that changes life”.

Scientifically speaking, “changes life” refers to biochemical changes within the cells of the body.  But as we have seen with our patients, the healing effects of laser therapy can, in fact, be life changing.

At InMotion Pain Solutions’ laser pain center, we’ve found that our patients best identify with the term high intensity laser therapy.

What’s the Difference Between High Intensity Laser Therapy and Low Level Laser Therapy?

Quite simply, the difference between High Intensity Laser Therapy and Low Level Laser Therapy is the wattage, or power, of the lasers.  A therapeutic laser with a wattage greater than 0.5 Watts (or 500 milliwatts) is considered a High Intensity Laser, or a Class IV laser.  Anything 0.5 Watts or below, is a Low Level Laser, or a Class III laser.

Low Level Lasers are effective at treating surface injuries.  However, deeper injuries and those associated with chronic pain, require more power.  Higher wattages enable the laser light to deliver larger doses of light energy in less time.  This enables the healing light to penetrate deeper below the surface of the skin to reach the cells.  If the light does not reach the damaged cells, the laser cannot do its work.

Even within the High Intensity, or Class IV category, laser wattages can vary drastically.  Most High Intensity Lasers used by clinicians are 10-watt lasers. At InMotion Pain Solutions in Cedar Rapids, we work with 2 different types of High Intensity Lasers.  We have both 60-watt and 500-watt lasers. These are among the most powerful lasers on the market, enabling us to treat deeply rooted injuries and chronic pain.