Skip to main content

What happens during a laser treatment?


After determining the nature of the condition to be treated, a specific dosage is determined. The laser dose is affected by how recent a condition is, the age of the patient, body mass, physical condition, skin colour, and amount of hair.

The treatment area will be cleaned, and then the laser head is placed in direct contact with the skin and the light is activated. There is no pain, and usually the patient feels nothing. Gentle pressure is applied to the skin to help the healing light penetrate. The length of time needed for the treatment is dependent upon the area being treated and the type of condition. The laser may be moved during the treatment to maximize the laser effect, with 2 to 7 points being treated per area, usually at 2 minutes each.After a time, the patient may feel a warming or a tingling sensation due to increased circulation or nerve stimulation.

In chronic cases following the first few treatments there may be a temporary increase in symptoms. This symptom increase does not mean that further injury is occurring, but it is rather a sign of the healing process beginning. Acute cases experience symptomatic improvement much more quickly.

Laser treatments build one upon the other with the effects in the cell being cumulative. Treating too often or using too much laser power can result in reduced healing. Your laser therapist will determine the optimal treatment dose for you. One body area is treated at a time allowing the body to focus its healing energies.

Safety

LLLT is an extremely safe form of therapy with no side effects (Tunér and Hode). It is often used to replace or reduce the need for medications which have undesirable side effects or fail to get to the source of the problem.

Eye safety is the main concern during laser therapy, even though the research shows that eye injury is a very rare occurrence. Even the closed eyelid is sufficient to prevent injury. But we maximize safety during treatment by having our patients wear special glasses. Additionally, the laser is only activated once it is in contact with the skin, thus blocking the potential of exposure to the eye.

Initial treatments may cause short term muscle spasm, mild fatigue, mild nausea or headaches. It is thought that these healing reactions are the result of increased metabolites in the blood stream. This usually subsides within 48 hours. A German study showed only one temporary adverse reaction in over 12,000 treatments of tendonitis. Your Health Renew laser therapist is trained to help prevent these effects.

What happens at my first laser therapy session?

Expect the first session to last about 45 minutes. You will fill out an information form, and you will meet your laser therapist for the first time. She will ask you questions about your condition and explain the laser to you. You will be examined by one of our chiropractors who will determine your treatment plan.After this, any questions you may have will be answered, and you are ready for your first treatment. After the first time, laser sessions take only about 15 minutes.

Because we would like you to be comfortable, please adhere to the following conditions:

  • Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time in order to complete the necessary paperwork.
  • Please bring your daily planner or a list of important dates so that we can work with you to schedule your treatments at a convenient time.