Complimentary Story
I’ve been in practice for nearly 30 years now, and in all that time I have never seen a therapy that does more to help people in pain than High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT). HILT is a FDA-cleared treatment option that is unique in its ability to penetrate through bone, soft tissue, and muscle to deliver healing light energy to the cells of the body. HILT can reduce pain, minimize swelling, soften scar tissue, and reset the chronic pain cycle - all while healing damaged tissues at the cellular level.
How Does It Work?
When I tell patients that the laser “delivers light energy to heal tissues at the cellular level,” a few become skeptical because the concept seems a bit nebulous.
Here’s a comparison that helps many understand the science behind laser therapy. We know that plants need sunlight in order to grow and be healthy. That’s because plants convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy to fuel growth (the process of photosynthesis).
In a similar manner, your body converts light energy from the laser into chemical energy to fuel cell growth and healing. This prompts a series of biological changes, the benefits of which include:
Relieves Pain -- reduces pain by increasing the production of pain-killing chemicals, such as endorphins and enkephalins, from the brain and adrenal gland.
Softens Scar Tissue -- softens existing scar tissue and reduces the formation of new scar tissue following tissue damage. This is important because after an injury, the body heals with a tight, fibrous network of scar tissue.
Scar tissue is less elastic, has poor circulation, is sensitive to pain, is weaker, and is much more prone to re-injury. HILT softens scar tissue so that the doctor can work with the tissue to lengthen the fibers enabling more movement and mobility.
Resets Chronic Pain Cycle -- chronic pain signals are actually memorized in the nerve switching stations in the body called interneurons. For example, pain that is felt in the knee is memorized in the interneurons near the spinal cord. The laser light reaches into the interneurons to reset that pain memory. It doesn’t erase it completely, but it acts as an analgesic to suppress the nerve signals that transmit the sensation of pain to the brain.
Reduces Swelling -- provides an anti-inflammatory effect, as it causes vasodilation (expansion of blood vessels) and activation of the lymphatic drainage system. As a result, there is a reduction in swelling caused by stress, trauma, overuse, or systemic conditions.
Improves Blood Flow -- improves vascular activity and increases the formation of new capillaries (angiogenesis) in damaged tissues. This enables the body to deliver more oxygen and other vital nutrients to the treated area to speed healing.
Improves Nerve Function -- accelerates the process of nerve cell regeneration and improves the communication between the nerves and the brain.
Speeds Tissue Repair and Cell Growth -- accelerates cellular reproduction and growth by starting DNA and RNA repairs inside of the cells. Cartilage, bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and muscles are repaired faster as a result of exposure to laser light.
Is Laser Therapy Safe?
YES. Laser therapy has been cleared by the FDA for treating pain. It has been used in Europe since the 1970’s and has been trusted by elite athletes around the world to accelerate recovery. Laser therapy has no known side effects when used by a properly trained professional.
A Different Treatment Approach
There are a variety of options for treating acute and chronic pain. Pain medications and spinal injections may provide temporary comfort, but they do nothing to address the root cause of the pain -- once the medication wears off, the pain returns. They can also be accompanied by serious side effects including addiction, depression, and other health problems.
Surgery is expensive, carries its own set of major risks, recovery can last for weeks or months, and the success rates are not as high as you might expect.
Laser therapy is different because not only does it relieve pain, it’s also helping to repair the underlying cause of the pain.
Not All Lasers are Created Equal
When I first was exposed to the healing power of therapeutic lasers back in 2005, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. After reviewing the research and seeing laser therapy in action, I immediately began to offer it to my patients. It had a tremendous impact on the level of care I was able to provide.
As the treating doctor to the U.S. Olympic decathlon team, I saw even more potential for the technology. But, what I found was that the low level lasers that I was using were not able to penetrate the muscle mass of the Olympians and pro football players that I was treating. I needed something more, so I went to the source.
I contacted the physicist and engineers for the laser I was using and soon began to work with them to advance the technology. For nearly 10 years now, we’ve been working together to continually innovate and improve this amazing tool.
The Class 4, high intensity lasers used in our clinics are some of the strongest and most powerful healing tools available anywhere. They are 10 times to over 100 times stronger than other Class 4 lasers. Our lasers reach deeper into cellular tissues and treat surrounding tissues to provide longer lasting results for our patients.
Who Benefits from Laser Therapy?
The healing power of HILT, once reserved exclusively for elite athletes, is now available to anyone suffering chronic pain. Patients come to us with low back pain, osteoarthritis, neck pain, shoulder pain, neuropathy, hip pain, knee pain, sciatica, headaches, tendonitis, neuralgia, and many other chronic pain conditions.
Hugo Mielke of Marion is a retired farmer turned cheese salesman who sought treatment chronic knee and shoulder pain. His pain made it difficult to walk up and down stairs, stand for any period of time, and disrupted his sleeping. He feared he was destined for knee replacement surgery. “When I had the laser done, that’s then the relief really happened. The pain is gone, and the number one thing is, I can sleep at night, with no pain…that’s incredible.” After therapy, Hugo was able to kneel for the first time in four years, pain free.
Steve Schlei, a general contractor from Wausau, had been dealing with back pain for more than 15 years. He described his pain as feeling “like a knife was stuck in the middle of my back.” Steve tried many different avenues to treat the pain including: stretching, physical therapy, chiropractic, muscle relaxants, and pain pills. While some offered temporary relief, the pain always came back. Steve thought he was out of options and was considering his “last resort” -- back surgery, until a friend told him about laser therapy. After an intense rehabilitation program that included High Intensity Laser Therapy, he said “that knife came out of my back, and that was just an amazing relief. Just being able to get up in the morning and tie my shoes, that was the first realization that the pain was gone….it was like I was a young guy again”.
Treatment Sessions
The penetrating light from the laser feels warm on the body, and many patients find the soothing, warming sensation to be very relaxing. The therapeutic effects of HILT continue to work within your body even after your treatment session is complete.
It is important to know that HILT has been shown to have a cumulative effect, meaning that it requires a series of treatments to effect biological changes in the body, with each session building upon the one before. While some patients feel immediate relief after just a few treatments, for most the response is more subtle and gradual.
If you wish to learn more about High Intensity Laser Therapy, schedule a no-cost consultation at one of our clinics: Integrated Pain Solutions in Green Bay at 920-569-2350, Draeger Chiropractic & Laser Center in Wausau/Weston at 715-355-4224, or Draeger Chiropractic & Laser Center in Antigo at 715-623-2123.
Dr. Curt Draeger, DC, DACBOH, CCST is the treating doctor to Team USA’s Olympic decathletes, founder of Integrated Pain Solutions, Draeger Chiropractic & Laser Center, and co-developer of the latest generation of High Intensity Therapeutic Lasers.
