Wisconsin Laser Therapy - We are about helping you feel better!
About Laser Therapy
High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT), a Class 4 therapeutic laser, is an innovative FDA-cleared drug free treatment option that is unique in its ability to penetrate through soft tissue, muscle and bone to deliver healing light energy to the cells of the body. It is a drug-free, non-invasive treatment approach that treats the underlying cause of pain. It works by promoting healing/repairing and regenerating from within the cells themselves.
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A Different Treatment Approach
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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 other health problems, depression, and addiction. 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 one might expect.
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Most of the time, drugs and anti-inflammatory medications only serve to mask the issue, rather than to correct it. HILT is a different treatment approach which can greatly decrease the pain and symptoms associated with a variety of ailments, while increasing your quality of life.
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Don’t let the “high-intensity” part scare you, either; that simply refers to the strength of the laser. The Class 4 lasers we have at Wisconsin Laser Therapy are able to penetrate deeper, therefore treating the surrounding tissues more effectively for longer-lasting effects.
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How does it work?
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Simply put, this beam of radiant light is able to speed up the healing process by turning light energy into regenerative energy for cells much in the same way that photosynthesis turns light energy into chemical energy for plants.
A deeper look at how it works: Photons of laser light penetrate through the skin and are absorbed by special components in your body's cells called chromophores. Just as photosynthesis creates energy for plants to grow, the absorption of the photons by your cells causes increased production of cellular energy. Another example in humans is vitamin D. Vitamin D is also synthesized via a photochemical process.
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Using laser light in areas of damage or injury means there is more available energy for accelerated healing. This is called biostimulation. Because of its biostimulatory nature, laser therapy has the potential to help almost any scenario whereby the body's cells are not working to their optimum potential including muscle cells, bone cells and cartilage. Laser therapy assists with:
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Speeds Tissue Repair and Cell Growth — accelerates cellular reproduction and growth by starting DNA and RNA repairs inside of the cells. Cells of cartilage, bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and muscles are repaired faster as a results of exposure to laser light.
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 itself 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 can soften scar tissue so that the doctor can work with tissue to lengthen the fibers enabling more movement and mobility.
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Relieves Pain — reduces pain by increasing the production of pain-killing chemicals, such as endorphins and enkephalins, from the brain and adrenal gland.
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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 sensations of pain to the brain.
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Reduces Swelling — provides an anti-inflammatory effect, as it causes vasodilation (expansion of blood vessel) and activation of the lymphatic drainage system. As a result, there is a reduction in swelling caused by stress, trauma, overuse, or systemic
conditions.
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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 nerves
and the brain.
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Therapeutic effects during each treatment:
Laser energy increases ATP production (cellular energy) and circulation which draws water, oxygen, and nutrients to the damaged area. This reduces inflammation, muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, function is restored and pain is relieved. These events lead to a cascade of beneficial effects and dramatic pain relief.
**(Different patients will benefit from different of treatment options. The Laser Therapist will determine the best combination of treatments for each individual patient.)
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High Intensity Laser Therapy is different from cold (or low level) laser therapy. Our laser is many times stronger than a cold laser, enabling it to reach deeper into the cellular tissue and treat surrounding tissues to provided quicker and longer lasting results for our patients.
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