Early in 2009, I started researching laser therapy… I was looking for a treatment tool (beyond acupuncture) to benefit all the “soft tissue injuries” I was seeing. Although I can chiropractically adjust all the compensations, the soft tissues simply take time to heal, and then unfortunately, are very prone to re-injury. I had heard very mixed results from people who had tried “laser acupuncture” for their pets, some responded, many didn’t. I discovered that when it comes to lasers, there is a lot of variety and very little regulation and training out there. Most of the Chicagoland rehabilitation and therapy centers were using class IIIb lasers, and as this was the best available until recently, I started with this. After a 3 week trial, results were mixed, some pets responded, some didn’t, and those that responded were mostly subtle. Having always been a skeptic until something is proven, I wanted more concrete evidence of response to treatment, so I continued my search which led me to the class IV Companion Therapy Laser which you will frequently hear me refer to as “the cadillac of lasers“. Initially this was in regards to the price of the equipment, now it is in regards to the response to treatment!! I was only able to orchestrate a one day trial, but in the long run, the length of trial didn’t matter. I saw better results with one day of the class IV laser than I did with 3 weeks of the class IIIb. Out of 20 dogs & cats (most of these being very challenging cases), 14 had a definite response to treatment that I would rank as very good to excellent, 4 had a subtle to mild response and 2 did not respond. It provided the results I needed to see and because the class IV Companion Therapy Laser is also FDA approved, I’m proud to announce that PAWSitively Balanced now offers class IV laser therapy!
Medical laser therapy is the delivery of light via specific wavelengths to reduce pain and inflammation while stimulating tissue healing at the cellular level. Treatments are non-invasive, pain free and, when done properly by a trained professional, are free of side-effects. The stimulation of cells by light is called “photobiostimulation.” Consider vitamin D synthesis in humans from sunlight and you‘ll realize laser therapy is just a modern age continuation of an old process. Laser therapy stimulates unhealthy cells to increase production of chemical substrates. For example, mitochondrial cells will increase their levels of ATP (cellular energy) which thereby promotes cellular respiration and metabolism and healing of surrounding tissues. Arthritis and soft tissue injuries are often helped because laser therapy stimulates fibroblasts (collagen building blocks), osteocytes (bone) and chondrocytes (cartilage) as well. All this, while decreasing pain with endorphin release and increasing circulation with vasodilation.
* Young & Old Pets * Acute & Chronic Conditions * Superficial & Deep Tissues *
*arthritis, degenerative joint disease *lick granulomas *neurologic conditions *burns, hot spots, wounds *hip or elbow dysplasia *chronic ear or anal gland infections *surgical incisions *orthopedic post op recovery *intervertebral disc disease (acute or chronic) *needleless acupunture *sprains/strains/muscle pulls/tendon/ligament injuries (partial ACL tears)
