By integrating high-photon-energy visible lasers into chiropractic care, particularly green and violet wavelengths, you can enhance outcomes by amplifying neurological and cellular effects in ways that can enhance adjustments and other lasers.
Chiropractic has never advanced by abandoning what works. From its earliest days, the profession has understood the adjustment is more than pain relief. Pain has been an entry point, not the endpoint. Chiropractors recognized changes in spinal function influenced the nervous system and overall health in ways that extended beyond symptom suppression.
These truths were clear to chiropractors while mainstream medicine struggled to understand them. Archival films of B.J. Palmer’s rehabilitation facility show how far ahead of his time he was. Today, high-quality research1 supports what chiropractors have observed for more than a century: Adjustments influence central nervous system processing, motor control and neurological integration and so do high energy, non-thermal lasers.
This history matters because it positions chiropractic uniquely for the thoughtful integration of new technologies, particularly when they support the same pathways as the adjustment but in a different and complementary way.
Chiropractors are not late adopters chasing trends; we are early observers of biological truth. That perspective allows us to integrate lasers into practice at a level most healthcare providers never consider. Unfortunately, some clinicians still view lasers only as tools to reduce pain and inflammation. That view is as limited as saying adjustments merely affect range of motion and pain.
The difference in high-photon-energy lasers and how they fit with chiropractic
Photobiomodulation has moved from fringe curiosity to mainstream discussion. When I began using lasers in 2004, people thought I was crazy. Today, light-based therapies are everywhere, but outcomes vary dramatically.
The narrow framework limiting laser outcomes
Most clinicians were introduced to laser therapy through a narrow marketing lens. The emphasis has been on wavelengths, penetration depth, power output and total joules delivered. Visible wavelengths, such as green and violet, were overlooked under the assumption they could only affect superficial tissue. That framework is incomplete and inaccurate.
Red and infrared lasers are valuable tools. However, by centering the entire conversation on penetration and power, photon energy, a variable that fundamentally changes how light interacts with biological systems, has been ignored.
Photon energy increases as wavelength shortens, resulting in fewer photons required to trigger biological reactions. Each high-energy photon can initiate hundreds to thousands of downstream reactions. Every second a laser is active, quadrillions of photons are delivered.2 This is why high-energy lasers do not require high watts to produce meaningful effects.
These wavelengths engage photochemical and photosignaling pathways that influence cellular metabolism, ion channels, mitochondrial function and neurological regulation. They initiate quantum-level interactions that affect electrons directly, shifting them to higher energy states and triggering cascading reactions (like dominoes), producing systemic effects far beyond the area of direct exposure.
Medicine already accepts this concept. Ultraviolet light penetrates only microns into the skin, yet triggers vitamin D production that affects bone metabolism throughout the body. Blue light treats neonatal jaundice by altering bilirubin metabolism in the liver without direct penetration.3
But are there results with high-energy lasers?
Clinical outcomes matter. Theory without results is irrelevant.
I served as a principal investigator on clinical trials comparing a non-thermal green and violet laser to a red and violet, a dual red and a red-light LED device for chronic neck and shoulder pain.
Subjects treated with the green and violet laser experienced an immediate 52% reduction in pain and average increase of 32° of range of motion. At the 48-hour follow-up, pain decreased an additional 13%. A study published in a peer-reviewed journal led to the first FDA clearance for a green and violet laser for chronic neck and shoulder pain.4
Notably, one reviewer objected, not to the study design or data, but to the conclusion itself. He stated he could not “believe” green and violet or wavelengths could have effects beyond superficial tissue.
This reaction is common. Dogma often overrides evidence, even when data are sound.
Why high-photon-energy lasers behave differently
Visible wavelengths such as green and violet follow different biological rules. High-energy photons interact more readily with electrons, chromophores and signaling molecules. Rather than relying on heat or molecular vibration, these wavelengths initiate cascade effects.
Research has shown combinations of visible wavelengths influence extracellular matrix-modifying enzymes, mitochondrial pathways, organs such as the kidneys5 and neurological signaling without requiring direct penetration to deep structures.6 Violet over the vagus nerve has been shown to make objective changes on QEEG and fMRI7. This study was particularly important because it showed high-photon-energy lasers can impact the brain without even being applied on the cranium. These effects help explain why some clinics observe improvements in chronic or neurologically complex cases that appear disproportionate to the apparent depth of treatment.
Integration, not replacement
High-photon-energy lasers work best when used to prime systems chiropractic already influences, including neurological regulation, motor control, proprioception and adaptive capacity. Applied before or alongside an adjustment, visible lasers can enhance the nervous system’s ability to respond, adapt and stabilize change. Laser becomes an active neurological input that prepares the system for correction. Clinically, this often appears as faster changes in range of motion, improved coordination, reduced protective tone and more durable post-adjustment responses.
Move beyond the “red light only” mindset
The dominance of red and infrared light is not accidental. These wavelengths were easier to manufacture, safer at higher powers and simpler to explain using penetration-based models. Over time, familiarity hardened into dogma.
As a result, many clinicians assume all lasers behave similarly and adding wavelengths only changes superficial parameters. This assumption limits outcomes.
When we were testing the violet laser to find the optimum wattage, increasing the power up to just 100 mw caused hair and skin to burn instantly because the electron volt energy was so high. This is why you cannot use a collimated violet laser with high power for therapeutic effects. The device needs the right power level for that wavelength.
Different wavelengths interact with different biological targets. Mitochondrial complexes, ion channels and chromophores do not respond uniformly across the spectrum. Complexes I and II in the electron transport chain absorb most strongly in the violet range, while Complex III peaks in green. Red and infrared primarily influence Complex IV. Adding green and violet wavelengths expands metabolic and neurological support.8
In conditions such as autism, some children have issues with all four complexes. Some devices only impact Complex IV. Since Complexes I-III are rate-limiting, you would not get as powerful a result as you would if you had support for all four complexes.
In addition, Complex I-III has been linked to chondrocytes in osteoarthritis. Supporting those pathways can provide enhanced support.
When clinicians integrate these wavelengths intentionally, outcomes become more predictable and improvements often occur earlier in care.
What integration looks like
Clinics that successfully integrate high-photon-energy lasers measure function, not just pain. Range of motion, balance, coordination and movement quality are assessed before and immediately after laser application.
They individualize dosing. Higher photon energy does not mean higher dose. Longer exposure at lower power often outperforms shorter, higher-power delivery, particularly with neurological tissue or pediatric patients.9
They understand timing. Applying visible lasers before an adjustment often yields different and better results than applying them afterward.
Final thoughts: Reframe the role of laser therapy
Laser therapy is not failing as a modality. What has failed is an outdated framework that reduces light to penetration, power and joules.
When clinicians recognize light as biological information rather than mere thermal energy, laser therapy becomes more precise, predictable and philosophically aligned with chiropractic. The future of laser therapy in chiropractic will belong to clinicians who integrate innovation with proven care and signaling smarter.
Kirk Gair, DC, has been using high-energy, non-thermal lasers since 2004 and teaching doctors internationally and researching lasers since 2017. His peer-reviewed research on green and violet lasers led to the first FDA clearance for a combination laser of those wavelengths for chronic neck and shoulder pain. He has worked with professional athletes, celebrities, Olympic gold medalists and world record holders; he has also been featured in Kharrazian Institute for Functional Medicine and in Izabella Wentz’s New York Times best-selling book, “Hashimoto’s Protocol.” He has a private practice near Los Angeles, California, and a highly interactive and free Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/drgairlasertherapy). This article was written on behalf of Erchonia.
References
- Taylor HH, Murphy B. Altered sensorimotor integration with cervical spine manipulation. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2008;31(2):115-126. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18328937/ . Accessed March 4, 2026.
- Smith KC. The photobiological basis of low level laser radiation therapy. Laser Therapy. 1991;3(1):19-24. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/islsm/3/1/3_91-OR-03/_article/-char/en. Accessed March 4, 2026.
- Wu R, Wen L. Meta-analysis of the efficacy of different blue light therapy methods for neonatal jaundice. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2025;38(1):2430649. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39586649/ . Accessed March 4, 2026.
- Sammons T, et al. Assessing the impact of high photon energy wavelengths on the treatment of chronic neck and shoulder pain. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.2023;2023:6672019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37829623/ . Accessed March 4, 2026.
- O’Connor M, et al. Mesenchymal stem cells synergize with 635, 532 and 405 nm laser wavelengths in renal fibrosis: A pilot study. Photomed Laser Surg. 2016;34(11):556-563. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27244220/ . Accessed March 4, 2026.
- Hwang MH, et al. Photobiomodulation of extracellular matrix enzymes in human nucleus pulposus cells as a potential treatment for intervertebral disk degeneration. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):11654. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6076240/ . Accessed March 4, 2026.
- Machado C, et al. Vagal nerve stimulation with low level lasers of two different frequencies assessed by QEEG. Internet J of Neurol. 2019;21(1):1-9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335590143_Vagal_Nerve_Stimulation_With_Low_Level_Lasers_Of_Two_Different_Frequencies_Assessed_By_QEEG. Accessed March 4, 2026.
- Blanco FJ, et al. The role of mitochondria in osteoarthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2011;7(3):161-169. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21200395/ . Accessed March 4, 2026.
- Castano AP, et al. Low-level laser therapy for zymosan-induced arthritis in rats: Importance of illumination time. Lasers Surg Med. 2007;39(6):543-550. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17659584/ . Accessed March 4, 2026.
