Laser Therapy - March 2013
By Dr. R.J. Krapfl
Did you know that the athletes who play for the Chicago Bulls, Boston Red Sox, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Sabers, University of Florida Gators, Team USA Basketball now have something in common with your pet? They have access to the latest technology to provide relief for pain and inflammation. And you know what? They are raving about the results that they see.
At Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals we are proud and excited to be able to offer laser therapy. Laser therapy is a safe, non-invasive, pain-free, drug-free alternative to provide relief from pain or inflammation. It is considered a low stress and often soothing alternative to help treat and heal many conditions that we see frequently in our patients.
Laser therapy has been used to:
- Reduce pain and discomfort
- Speed healing
- Increase mobility and motion in joints
- Reduce swelling
The safe and effective therapy provided by Companion Laser is being used by:
- Over 2000 veterinary hospitals
- Dozens of professional sports teams
- Human physical therapists
- Orthopedic practices
- And many others in the human and veterinary medicine fields.
Laser therapy will not replace appropriate drug therapy, but it may reduce the amount or the duration of medical treatment. It may enhance healing of a wide variety of conditions. It can also be used to increase mobility in chronic cases of discomfort due to arthritis or other joint and muscle diseases.
The bottom line is that if your pet is in pain, has inflammation or has a wound, laser therapy can be beneficial. This includes patients that have the aches and pains of old age, who have just had a surgical procedure, or who have an open wound or recent injury.
Laser therapy can sound scary – makes you think of Star Wars light sabers and Star Trek laser guns. The truth is, however, in exhaustive studies, laser therapy has been found to be exceedingly safe and effective. There are virtually no side effects. When applied properly by one of our professional staff, there is no risk of thermal injury.
How does laser therapy work? Photons of laser light are delivered to penetrate into the damaged or injured tissue. These photons are absorbed into the cells which initiates a special process (photo-chemical response). This response in the cells can block nerve impulses (pain), accelerate tissue repair, increase circulation and reduce swelling. It has been used in our practice already this year to treat non-healing wounds, post-surgery healing of orthopedic cases, ear infections, ear hematomas and much more. So you can see why we are excited!
Our goal for this year is to continue to incorporate this new treatment modality into our daily practice providing relief of pain and inflammation. It is just one more option we can provide our patients to safely reduce discomfort and suffering and improve their quality of life.