Back pain is a problem nearly 65 million Americans suffer with every year. While about 16 million adults suffer from chronic back pain that forces limitations for some everyday activities. Due to back pain being such a common problem, there is a wide variety of causes including some of the following conditions:
- Herniated disk
- Fibromyalgia
- Muscle strains
- Muscle sprains
- Injury
- Poor posture
Fortunately there are many ways to help ease chronic back pains without resorting to surgery or prescription pharmaceuticals that only temporarily reduce pain and rarely treat the underlying problem.
Treatments like chiropractic adjustments, medical massages, acupuncture, and non-surgical spinal decompression are great alternative options to treat back pain.
However, today we’re going to be exploring laser therapy, and how it can help with back pain.
What is Cold Laser Therapy?
When a patient is treated with laser therapy, the skin is exposed to the particles of lights which are then absorbed by the mitochondria of the cells triggering the production of adenosine triphosphate. Adenosine triphosphate is a natural occurring chemical responsible for fueling the body’s cellular processes. Exposure to the light from the laser may improve blood circulation and speed up the process of healing. Afterward, the cells exposed to the lasers are completely unharmed and return to their normal processes.
SOHMA Integrative Medicine of Long Beach CA is excited to offer Cold Laser Therapy. This FDA cleared medical device is used to help reduce pain and accelerate the body’s natural healing.
Using Erchonia’s FX 635 laser resulted in a 72% success rate in their clinical trial, which received market clearance by the FDA in May of 2018. Laser therapy treatment of lower back pain has been shown to be a safer, more effective option that may result in patients going back to their day-to-day life in no time. Low level lasers can be used to effectively reduce and eliminate chronic pain in the back, neck and shoulders.
Is Laser Therapy for Me?
Absolutely, laser therapy is extremely safe. For the majority of people, there is very little to no sensation during treatment. They may feel a mild warmth as the laser is being used but there is no pain. Patients claim laser therapy is calming and relaxing, with some patients falling asleep during the therapy.
In some cases some patients report soreness or swelling though this lasts for only a few hours. In extreme cases some bruising may appear, but this is typically harmless and will fade away after a few days.
There are some people who should consider other forms of relief for their back pain like the aforementioned acupuncture, chiropractic, or medical massages. For patients with suspected cancerous lesions or carcinoma as the laser can have a negative reaction to the skin. Due to not enough research being done on how the laser may affect an unborn child, pregnant women are not recommended to undergo this procedure.
Laser therapy is an exciting new practice that feels like it’s straight out of science fiction. It unlocks some of the natural healing power our bodies have, which is incredibly powerful. While new, it is still considered a viable alternative treatment option for those seeking to relieve back pain without taking addictive opioids or risking expensive and invasive surgeries. Laser therapy is great as a standalone treatment or as a complementary treatment with chiropractic or acupuncture, ask the helpful staff at SOHMA if you have any further questions about laser therapy.
Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine
Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health.
Located in Long Beach, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.
We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.
