Laser Acupuncture is also known as LLLT or Low Level Laser Therapy. It is an effective, drug free alternative for treating many conditions. It targets the underlying problem, as well as the symptoms, resulting in sustained benefits.
If you suffer from lower back pain, neck pain, joint pain, musculoskeletal pain, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel, sprains and strains, migraine or any other acute or chronic pain, you might like to consider using laser for pain relief at Freedom Chinese Medicine in Ivanhoe.
We’ve been using laser therapy since 2004 to treat physical pain and dysfunction, and also to speed up the healing process in a number of different musculoskeletal conditions. Laser therapy is a drug-free, painless, non-invasive, and effective therapy that has been proven to give pain relief in the shortest possible time, increase the speed, tensile strength and quality of tissue repair whilst resolving inflammation. We offer low level laser therapy as a stand alone treatment, or in combination with Acupuncture or Massage.
Low Level Laser Therapy is often abbreviated to LLLT. It’s regularly referred to in research papers as Photobiomodulation. Quite often it is called Cold Laser Therapy and increasingly we see it referred to as Red Light Therapy.
LLLT is used in the following conditions:
- Tendinopathies (Achilles tendinosis, Rotator Cuff problems, Tennis Elbow)
- Acute Sprains
- Neck and Back Pain due to arthritis and disc prolapse
- Bursitis
- Lymphoedema
- Chronic leg ulcers
It is a great accompaniment to our facial rejuvenation sessions, where it can be used in combination with cosmetic acupuncture as a powerful acne treatment and anti aging treatment (skin texture, firmness and wrinkles).
Low level laser therapy and Acupuncture is frequently combined in clinic during IVF cycles, as part of the supporting Natural Fertility, for endometriosis, PCOS and other gynaecological complaints.
Click here to book easily online. If you choose to combine Laser therapy with Acupuncture or Massage, simply choose Acupuncture or Massage as the appointment type. The therapist will incorporate your laser treatment into the session.
Laser pain relief – how many treatments do you need?
Laser therapy for pain relief requires a course of sessions. There is an initial loading dose, followed by a transition phase and then down to a maintenance dose.
For acute conditions, it may be possible to get relief in 3-6 sessions. For chronic conditions, it could take as many as 12 sessions before significant pain relief is felt. Unless laser therapy is combined with Acupuncture, which can then make it possible to get relief in 3-6 sessions.
As with any musculoskeletal treatment, we recommend appropriate exercise and a good diet and hydration alongside. These factors will optimise treatments, enable the body to recover faster and generally result in less treatments being required.
For loading periods, we may ask you to come 2-3 times per week until improvement is seen, then dropping to once per week, fortnightly and so on, until a maintenance dose is found. It is important during the transition period to maintain the benefits of the treatments whilst reducing the frequency.
What happens in a laser treatment?
All the therapists using low level laser therapy for the treatment of pain at Freedom Chinese Medicine, use a class 3 laser therapy device. A full history of your condition is taken at your first treatment and at each subsequent session, the therapist will review how your condition is progressing, and alter the dosage, treatment areas or treatment schedule accordingly.
During the entire process, you generally don’t feel any sensation in the part being treated. Some patients feel a slight tingling sensation or warmth whenever the probe head of the laser touches the skin. For most patients, LLLT has no sensation.
How does Low Level Laser Therapy work?
LLLT is not a heat therapy – the effects are mediated by light. This is a photochemical effect that induces a chemical change within the cell that promotes healing.
Examples of other photochemical effects that are well known in medicine:
- the role of sunlight in Vitamin D synthesis
- the use of blue light to treat neonatal jaundice
- ultraviolet light to treat psoriasis
- ultraviolet light producing a suntan
LLLT works best in injured or “stressed” cells interrupting the inflammation pathway and helping to restore normal cell function and promote tissue repair.
LLLT has been used for 30 years in the UK, Europe, North and South America.
It is well supported by clinical research.
LLLT is used by Harvard Medical School, NASA, the British Olympic Athletic Team, premier division soccer teams, US and British military and Formula 1.
Is laser therapy covered by Medicare?
Consultations for low level laser therapy at Freedom Chinese Medicine in Ivanhoe, Melbourne are not covered by Medicare. You can use your private health insurance as our therapists are all remedial massage or Acupuncturists and use laser therapy as an adjunct to their treatments. All our therapists have undergone training in the correct use of lasers. All therapists are fully insured.
Click here to book.
References
- Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the management of neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo or active-treatment controlled trials Chow, Roberta T et al. The Lancet , Volume 374 , Issue 9705 , 1897 – 1908
- Effects of low-level laser therapy and eccentric exercises in the treatment of recreational athletes with chronic achilles tendinopathy. Stergioulas A et al Am J Sports Med. 2008 May;36(5):881-7.
- The Use of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) For Musculoskeletal Pain. Cotler, H et al MOJ Orthop Rheumatol. 2015;2(5).
- Ohshiro T. Personal Overview of the Application of LLLT in Severely Infertile Japanese Females. Laser Ther. 2012 Jul 3;21(2):97-103. doi: 10.5978/islsm.12-OR-05. PMID: 24610987; PMCID: PMC3944482.
- Phypers R, Berisha-Muharremi V, Hanna R. The Efficacy of Multiwavelength Red and Near-Infrared Transdermal Photobiomodulation Light Therapy in Enhancing Female Fertility Outcomes and Improving Reproductive Health: A Prospective Case Series with 9-Month Follow-Up. J Clin Med. 2024 Nov 24;13(23):7101. doi: 10.3390/jcm13237101. PMID: 39685560; PMCID: PMC11642705.
- https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/
article/islsm/25/3/25_16-AB- 01/_pdf