Lasers in Physical Therapy

Optimising soft tissue repair and providing pain relief, laser therapy is a well-used modality for those disciplines focused on physical therapy. Both acute and chronic conditions can be treated successfully. As always, accurate diagnosis is important to ensure identification of the most appropriate treatment protocols. The principles of setting wavelengths, energy density, pulsing rates and frequency of treatment are straightforward once the condition and objective is understood. Low Level Laser can work synergistically with manipulation and has fewer contraindications than ultrasound therapy - with LLLT the clinician can treat over plates, pins and patients with pacemakers. Healed tissue which has been treated with laser has been shown to have improved quality and tensile strength, thus minimising adhesions and scarring. Even pre-existing scar tissue has shown improvement after laser treatment.

Therapeutic lasers are also effectively used on trigger points in musculoskeletal treatments and can provide drug-free pain relief, being of particular aid in the treatment of arthritic conditions and neuralgic pain.

Example applications for physical therapists are:

“I have used Low Intensity Laser Therapy for 20 years and believe it to be the most effective weapon in the physiotherapy armoury”

Margaret Parkinson MCSP