There are many ways that lasers are utilized throughout health care sectors, such as dentistry, optometry and oncology. But what many people don’t know is how lasers can help to alleviate pain from an injury or medical condition. Laser therapy is a treatment administered by physical therapists that uses varying wavelengths of light that penetrate through the skin to assist with pain management.
There are a variety of laser therapy options that can be used by physical therapists, and the laser treatments are differentiated by classes based on the amount of power that’s emitted. At REPAIR SI, we use class IV laser therapy, which can go up to 25 watts.
What Is Class IV Laser Therapy?
Class IV laser therapy involves a high-powered laser as a way to help treat your pain and move your body through the healing process. Its effectiveness stems from the high power of the laser, which can go all the way up to 25 watts, or 25,000 milliwatts, while lower laser grades can only go up to 500 milliwatts. As a laser grows in power, it can penetrate deeper into the skin.
Since class IV laser therapy is able to go farther into the body, it’s able to treat nerves, muscles, joints and your spine — whatever the issue is that has been causing you pain due to an injury or medical condition. The laser works by increasing the energy of the cells, which helps to decrease inflammation. As the cells boost their energy levels, they’re able to absorb nutrients to expedite your recovery.
Class IV laser therapy can be used to help a variety of conditions and injuries, including, but not limited to:
- Scar tissue.
- Back pain.
- Neck pain.
- Muscle strains.
- Sprained ligaments.
- Stress fractures.
- Tendinitis.
- Inflammatory issues.
- Rotator cuff injuries.
- Plantar fasciitis.
Benefits of Class IV Laser Therapy
Your physical therapist will determine if class IV laser therapy is right for you. While there are many pain management treatment options offered at REPAIR SI, there are a variety of reasons why your physical therapist may recommend class IV laser therapy.
The benefits of class IV laser therapy include:
- Noninvasive/nonsurgical.
- Decreasing pain and inflammation.
- Increasing range of motion.
- Reducing muscle spasms.
- Targeting affected areas with precision.
- Treating large affected areas.
REPAIR SI Can Provide Class IV Laser Therapy
When you’re experiencing pain from an injury or medical condition that’s interfering with your quality of life, it’s time to explore your treatment options. If you’re looking for a noninvasive therapy that’s able to directly affect your nerves and muscles, then class IV laser therapy may be for you.
At REPAIR SI, our physical therapists can use class IV laser therapy at 25 watts to help reduce your pain and increase your range of motion so that you’re able to resume your daily activities.
If you’re interested in discovering how you would benefit from class IV laser therapy (25 watts), then be sure to reach out to our team today for more information or schedule an initial appointment to get started with class IV laser therapy.