Accelerate Your Healing
At Dubuque Physical Therapy, with our LightForce® Class IV Laser
What is the Purpose of Laser Therapy?
Laser therapy is used to treat acute and chronic conditions as well as post-activity recovery. It is also used as another option to prescription drugs, a tool to prolong the need for some surgeries, as well as pre and post-surgery treatment to help control pain. Laser therapy treatment in biological terms results in increased cellular metabolism (promoting tissue healing) and a decrease in pain.
Is laser therapy safe?
Class IV laser therapy devices were cleared in 2004 by the FDA for the safe and efficacious reduction of pain and increasing micro-circulation. Therapy lasers are safe and effective treatment options to reduce musculoskeletal pain due to injury. The biggest risk to injury during laser therapy treatments is to the eye, which is why certified, protective eyewear is always required during laser treatments.
What it treats?
Acute Conditions:
Laser therapy has been shown to be effective to help treat acute conditions. Bringing pain under control quickly helps the healing process and usually helps promote better outcomes.
Chronic Conditions:
With chronic conditions, research has shown that therapy lasers can be used to help combat persistent pain and promote circulation to damaged tissues. It can be a powerful, non-pharmaceutical solution to help reduce pain without the side effects of medication1,2.
Post-Activity Recovery:
Laser therapy has been shown to be effective at improving post-activity recovery times and reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)3.
- TMJ
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Elbow Pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Low Back Pain/Sciatica
- Arthritis
- Post surgical pain
- Soft Tissue Damage
- Plantar Fasciitis
How long does a therapy session last?
With LightForce® lasers, treatments are quick usually 3-10 minutes depending on the size, depth, and acuteness of the condition being treated. High-power lasers are able to deliver a lot of energy in a small amount of time, allowing therapeutic dosages to be achieved quickly. For patients and clinicians with packed schedules, fast and effective treatments are a must.
How often will I need to get treated with laser therapy?
Most clinicians will encourage their patients to receive 2-3 treatments per week as the therapy is initiated. There is a well-documented support that the benefits of laser therapy are cumulative, suggesting that plans for incorporating laser as part of a patient’s plan of care should involve early, frequent treatments that may be administered less frequently as the symptoms resolve.
What do the laser treatment cost?
Currently, insurance companies do not reimburse for laser treatments. Treatments cost $20 per body part per session. We do offer a discount for purchasing a group of sessions.