More and more, chiropractors are expanding services in order to grow their practices.
Many chiropractors are now offering massage, acupuncture and nutrition therapies. Laser therapy is one more recent, high-tech service. Not only can lasers be used for musculoskeletal pain and inflammation management, but they can also be used to help heal various wounds and abrasions.
How does laser therapy heal wounds?
Low level laser therapy (LLLT) delivers light energy to the cells. This speeds up a healing process known as photobiostimulation. Because the laser is set at a low level (on average 1-500 mW), there is minimal burn risk.
Who can benefit from laser therapy for healing wounds?
Patients with poor blood circulation, diabetes or long-term immobilization can all benefit from low level laser therapy. Wounds resulting from traumatic injuries, burns, non-healing surgical incisions or other diseases may also respond positively to this treatment.
What does the research say?
Researchers performed a study in 2004. They gave two arm wounds to individual subjects who were then divided into randomized groups. While some wounds were treated with low level laser therapy, others received sham laser treatment or none at all. For approximately one month, wounds were photographed at various intervals to document the healing process in terms of wound contraction, color, and luminance.The laser-treated wounds presented better results than either the sham-treated or untreated wounds. Some now speculate there may be a beneficial effect for tissue surrounding the wound.
Used properly, low level laser therapy can add a whole range of patient services to the chiropractic treatment menu. It can prove very beneficial for those patients who have wounds that have not responded to conventional treatments. It can also be done in conjunction with other treatments such as massage therapy to improve circulation to the tissue surrounding the wound, thereby further promoting healing.
