Laser Therapy for the Greenville, SC Area

A: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) classifies lasers according to the potential for injury to the eye, but in general lasers can be classified by power output with numbers from 1 through 4. Any laser with power grater than half a watt (or 500 milliwatts) is a Class IV laser, and examples include Summus Laser, as well as surgical and industrial lasers. Class IV therapeutic lasers are lower in power and the treatment beam diverges. Therefore, the laser-tissue effect is therapeutic, not cutting, ablative or damaging. 

A: No. There are many parameters that determine clinical effectiveness of therapeutic laser treatments. Those include power, power density, wave-length, mode of delivery, total dose, dosage and more. It can get to be extremely complicated! The 60-watt (or more powerful) therapy lasers usually use only continuous wave, and the 980nm wavelength only. This dramatically elevates the risk of burning patients. Summus lasers use the optimum combination of parameters to give the best clinical outcomes possible. 

A: No. Summus Class IV therapy lasers use red and infrared treatment beams. X-rays and infarared are on opposite sides of the electromagnetic spectrum. X-ray photos are very high in energy and can ionize molecules, damage DNA and in high enough doses can cause cancer. Infrared photons are much lower in energy; they cannot ionize molecules and therefore do not damage tissue. 

A: Yes! As stated above, the treatments beams from the Summus laser are safe and non-ionizing. There is a small amount that is reflected from the patient to the laser operator. This reflected infrared laser light is not harmful. Also, clothing will completely block it and there is no exposure to the fetus. The electromagnetic profile of Summus Medical equipment is less than that of a clock radio. 

A: There are four absolute contraindications for laser therapy treatments: directly into the eye; directly over the thyroid gland; and treating a pregnant patients or a patient with active cancer. Caution must also be used when treating patients with implanted spinal cord stimulators (SCS); tattoos, and with recent steroid injections. 

A: Yes, you can treat over the skull and sinuses. When you are treating the skull and sinuses, the laser light is not entering directly into the eye, so there is no danger. Laser treatment for sinus problems and seasonal allergy symptoms can be highly effective.

A: Yes. Laser is light and would be reflected from the metal. It will not get absorbed and heat up the metal like ultrasound does. You can safely treat over plates, pines, screws, knee and hip replacements, and even metal clips for a patient who has had surgery. 

A: Immediately. Laser therapy should be administered as soon as possible after acute injuries, trauma, surgery, etc. If your immediate goal is to help with surgical incision healing, an appropriate setting appropriate for that. This will address inflammation, bruising and tissue healing. 

A: No, the material ill completely block the laser light. 

A: No. Red and infrared laser light does not penetrate clothing very cell, if at all. Treatments must be delivered directly on the skin to be effective.

A: No. Class IV laser therapy treatments increase blood circulation and lymphatic flow, and ice causes vasoconstriction and reduction in blood flow. Using ice after the laser treatment would negate the beneficial effects of the laser. 

A: It is not required, but if you decide that heat helps, use it after, Class IV laser therapy treatments cause vasodilation and increase blood flow, so heat may help to extend the effect. 

A: This will happen rarely when treatments are delivered properly. The increased blood flow and release of tissue toxins can sometimes cause post-treatment soreness. This will typically resolve in a few hours. The incidence of post-treatment soreness diminishes with subsequent treatment. For severe cases of post-treatment soreness, you can apply ice, 10-minutes on, 10-minutes off. 

A: Yes. You can safely apply laser therapy over open growth plates. The treatments do not create deep heat in the plates or tissues. There are several studies concluding that infrared later have no adverse effect on growth plates. Literally hundreds of human and animal adolescent patients have been treated with the laser and no reported adverse effects. 

A: Yes, laser treatments have synergistic effects with regenerative medicine. Not only will it help the transplanted cells survive, proliferate, and function but is will enhance/improve the general health of the tissue and structures being treated for optimal recovery. Also, the laser treatment can help with pain management associated with multiple injections reducing the need for long-acting opioid pain medications such as Percocet.