The beneficial applications of low level laser therapy - Medical Journalist Report of Innovative Biologics

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Nov, 2002 by Morton Walker

* The spasm release of tight muscles (both smooth and striated) which had been creating chronic pain, joint stiffness, and decreased mobility;

* The speeding up of bone repair from the stimulation offered by fibroblastic and osteoblastic proliferation;

* The canceling wave effect of viruses, fungi, bacteria, and a variety of parasites so that they fail to survive.

Since the biostimulative-regenerative, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic characteristics of low level laser therapy began during the past half-century, a number of laboratory and clinical studies have been conducted. Perhaps upwards of 2500 published pieces have appeared in the medical literature in the form of clinical journal articles, magazine articles, letters to the editor, official reports, lectures, books, and more. In the next section a brief precis of four significant published items show the variety of LLLT applications for healing purposes.

Abstracted Articles Taken from the Medical Literature which Illustrate Healing with Low Level Laser Therapy

1. In the endodonture clinic of G.R. Sousa, DDS, M.S. Ribeiro, DDS, and E.B. Groth, DMD, 15 patients were treated for a total of 18 periapical lesions associated with the need for jaw bone repair. One group of 9 patients received endodontic treatment and/or periapical surgery. The second group of 6 were subjected to the same procedures but in addition, their lesions were irradiated with low level laser light. LLLT was performed during 10 sessions with an interval of 72 hours between treatments. Bone regeneration was evaluated through X-ray examination. The results showed a significant bone repair improvement in the endodontic group of patients who had received LLLT. Their surgical healing occurred in half the time. (7)

2. Both clinically and thermographically, improvement was observed among some 40 patients suffering from Raynaud's phenomenon after they received 10 sessions of LLLT distant irradiation during winter months. Digital blood flow was assessed and the subjective and objective parameters were significantly better upon evaluation after conclusion of this clinical study. (8)

3. Of 60 patients between the ages of 20 and 65 years who were diagnosed with cervical osteoarthritis (COA), LLLT was applied for symptomatic relief. The people were randomized into two equal groups and given LLLT or a placebo laser treatment. Patients in each COA group were investigated in a double-blind fashion without the doctors knowing who had received which type of application. The doctors evaluated patients for pain-related physical findings such as increased back muscle spasm, loss of spinal curvature, range of neck motion restriction before and after therapy. Functional improvements showed up significantly in the low level laser therapy group and not at all in the placebo group. From this and several dozen other clinical studies, it's recognized that LLLT works well for back trouble involving arthritis and muscle spasm. (9)

4. Endovascular surgery (operations dealing with the interior of the blood vessels) has advanced enormously by the use of LLLT. Lasers are administered to treat peripheral vascular disease (especially those that interfere with blood flow) such as in atherosclerosis.