Laser Therapy
As technology advances, we continue to develop new treatments to treat a wide variety of conditions. One of the new medical technological breakthroughs utilizes lasers. Don’t worry, these aren’t like the lasers you may have seen strapped to a shark’s head in the movie Austin Powers. Rather, it is a small device that can be used to help your pet recover from many conditions. The question is, is it right for your pet? First, we need to understand what laser therapy is, what conditions it may help, and what a patient can expect.
What is laser therapy?
A laser is essentially a unique form of light that does not diverge like the normal light we experience. Instead, it concentrates its energy onto a specific area. Because of this, we can use this technology and apply it toward treating many conditions. Laser can penetrate deep into tissue without damaging it. The energy emitted can be absorbed by mitochondria in the cells of the body. Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell because they produce an energy source for the body called ATP. Injured tissue does not produce the optimal amount of ATP, so laser therapy can stimulate an increase that helps the body heal.
What conditions might laser therapy help?
Laser therapy can help many conditions. After all, it works at the cellular level to create energy for the body. However, a few major conditions it helps includes:
• Muscle, ligament, or tendon injuries
• Post-surgical scarring
• Arthritis
• Hip dysplasia
• Disc disease
• Ear infections
These are all conditions that can be difficult to treat conventionally. We now have a tool to help traditional treatments.
What can a patient expect?
Inevitably, people always want to know if the treatment will hurt their pet. The answer is no. The treatment is painless, and to your dog it may feel like a soothing, warm sensation. In addition, there doesn’t appear to be any known side effects. Finally, treatments don’t take too long. The length depends on the area, but typically, they are 5-10 minutes. The total number of sessions required will vary depend on the condition as well.
To sum things up, laser appears to be a relatively new therapy for pets. While lasers have been around a while, we are just now applying the technology to medicine. It can help a wide variety of conditions, and sessions aren’t particularly long either. Do you have a pet that hasn’t recovered as well as you would have liked? Maybe it is time to talk to your vet!