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In short, LLLT reduces healing duration 30-40% and the injured tissues are stronger than if they had not been exposed to LLLT. Listed below you'll find a brief synopsis of what LLLT is and for those wanting hard data, you'll find a number of research abstracts from PubMedline that document and prove the effectiveness of LLLT. What is Laser Therapy? Laser Therapy is the application of red and near infra-red light over injuries or lesions to improve wound / soft tissue healing and give relief for both acute and chronic pain. It is now officially referred to as (Low Level Laser Therapy) LLLT.
The red and near infrared light (600nm-1000nm) can be produced by laser or high intensity LED. *LLLT devices are typically delivering 5mW -1000mW (0.2 -> 1.0 Watts). How long are the treatments?Treatments can vary in time from seconds to minutes depending on the condition. Research studies show that there may be a dose dependent response, so it may be more effective to treat at lower doses at multiple intervals then to treat a single time with a high dose. Laser Therapy is Popularly Used For:
How does LLLT work? Like photosynthesis - the correct wavelengths and power of light at certain intensities for an appropriate period of time can increase ATP production and cell membrane perturbation could lead to permeability changes and second messenger activity resulting in functional changes such as increased syntheses increased secretion and motility changes. Red and near infrared light seem to be the most ideal wavelengths. Red light and near infrared light acts on the mitochondria and at the cell membrane. In in-vitro and animal LLLT wound healing studies comparing wavelengths, red consistently is more effective. Shorter wavelengths are not as good and are more expensive to produce and have poor penetration; overall, they are a poor choice. Near infrared light, while not quite as good, do penetrate better than the red wavelengths and are available in higher powers and at low prices. According to live in-vivo experiments at Uniformed Services University Bethesda Maryland (a US military research centre) 810nm is the best penetrating wavelength. It also happens to work well in LLLT nerve regeneration studies they are doing. | |||||||||||||||||||
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Low Level Laser Therapy is nothing more than shining a high intensity light into the area of interest, it's just that this "light" is very intense, "monochromatic" (one wavelength), coherent (all the photons are in phase and synchronized) and is applied with a very specific dose in mind. It is painless, non-toxic, non-invasive, without drugs and very safe if applied by a trained practitioner. 
