1. FAQs
How many treatments will I need to receive?
Do I need to continue indefinitely?
What is your success rate?
How long are treatments?
What if I've had a chronic condition for many years and I've tried other therapies with little or no success? Can LILT still help me?
Why is it beneficial to use LILT for an acute, or recent, injury?
Am I too young or too old for LILT?
Is LILT a cure for arthritis?
Will LILT help me avoid surgery?
What does Low Intensity Laser Therapy do?
Are there any side effects?
When will I start to see positive results?
How does BioFlex compare with other conventional treatments?
What is meant by "radiation", when referring to Lasers?
Can Laser Therapy cause cancer?
How many treatments will I need to receive?
This will vary from patient to patient. Just as every medical condition is individual, so are the responses to therapy. The onset of initial pain relief as a result of treatment varies due to each patient's particular rate of release of endorphins and cortisol. In a recent clinical report on 151 consecutive cases using Low Intensity Laser Therapy, 11 treatments was the average number required for maximum improvement. Whether two or twenty treatments are required, most patients need not restrict normal activity during the therapy period, as healing will continue between sessions. Two distinct reactions occur during therapy; the immediate due to the release of the body's own endorphins and cortisone production and the more important or cumulative effect, resulting from progressive therapy. Treatments are best done 2 to 3 times per week initially.
With regard to the number of treatment sessions, these may vary from 1 to 30. Acute injuries generally respond more rapidly than chronic problems and each individual's tissue response varies. It is important to be aware that before treatment is initiated that the exact number of treatments cannot be predicted. In most cases we expect to see some change in symptomology after 3-5 visits, however in a small percentage, a more prolonged period of treatment may be required. This is particularly true in long standing back problems, frequently accompanied by spinal or foraminal stenosis. In these situations, there is encroachment on the spinal cord or the nerve roots as they exit the spinal canal. Almost without exception, we are able to relieve those symptoms; however patience and time are often required. Please do not forget that our objective is to minimize the length of treatment and number of visits. However, on occasion, even our best efforts requite multiple treatments, patience and time.
Do I need to continue indefinitely?
No. Usually our patients improve and are discharged from care returning later for a new or different problem if they come back at all. In very rare cases patients elect to have maintenance care. This generally happens with people who have inherent structural damage i.e. had polio as a child and now has an anatomical leg length difference, or Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers. Patients who suffer from Migraine headaches often do well with a monthly maintenance treatment.
The Meditech BioFlex Professional System boasts a success rate of 75-100% permanent relief in 90% of patients within 20 or fewer visits. This is most true when treatment plans are followed and the patients adhere to schedules. Unfortunately, as with any medical treatment, nothing is guaranteed.
Treatments are generally 30 minutes to one hour (sometimes somewhere in between). This depends upon the body part being treated. Low backs and hips require an hour-long treatment because of the depth of tissue as well as the broad area being treated. Most other areas require a half hour to forty five minute protocols.
LILT has an excellent success rate, even when patients have tried numerous other therapies and have suffered for years, even decades, without relief.
Why is it beneficial to use LILT for an acute, or recent, injury?
• LILT can heal an acute injury, like a sprained ankle, up to 60% faster. There's no need to suffer six weeks when you can get better in just two!
• LILT can also restore the injured area to its normal state. i.e. it will help prevent excessive scar tissue build up, which is a common cause of chronic pain experienced months to years after you are injured.
• LILT can be used immediately after the injury happens, unlike other therapies which often require a delay of days or even weeks before treatment can begin.
Am I too young or too old for LILT?
LILT is a safe therapy for people of any age.
Although LILT isn't a cure for arthritis, it does treat arthritis at the cellular level. It helps to improve the condition rather than just mask the pain. After an initial round of 12-15 treatments, patients can see up to 100% improvement which is long lasting. Then they are able to reduce or eliminate pain medications, are more active and getting more exercise, and are able to sleep better. To maintain this level of improvement, they have an additional treatment occasionally. The timing varies widely from patient to patient, from once a month to once a year.
Will LILT help me avoid surgery?
Sometimes surgery is the best solution for an injury. In the case of necessary joint replacements, LILT can help prolong the need for those replacements as well as dramatically reduce the amount of pain while waiting for the surgery. And in many cases, LILT has been able to help patients with shoulder, knee, foot, back and Achilles tendon injuries avoid surgery completely.
What does Low Intensity Laser Therapy do?
By affecting and reversing the offending pathology at the cellular level, laser therapy optimizes the restoration of injured tissues to normal function, thereby relieving painful symptoms. The beneficial effects of laser therapy are cumulative over the course of a series of treatments.
Unlike many pharmaceutical options, BioFlex is non toxic; unlike surgical procedures, it is non-traumatic; and most importantly, it is non-invasive. Occasionally patients experience a slight exacerbation of pain for a varying period of time - usually for less than 24 hours after treatment. If this occurs, utilize pain medication and/or ice and let the therapist know prior to the next treatment.
When will I start to see positive results?
Some people start seeing results after just the first treatment. For most patients, the change is noticeable between the 3rd and 5th treatment.
How does BioFlex compare with other conventional treatments?
For many years, rehabilitation therapies -- including ultrasound, interferential current and TENS -- have been used extensively throughout the world to treat pain and stimulate the healing processes. Unlike BioFlex, however, the healing effects of these treatments have been disappointing as they only modulate symptoms. In contrast, BioFlex is able to influence the pathology directly at the cellular level, resulting in therapeutic benefits that are more profound and generally curative. At best, alternative therapies act as counter-irritants, creating a transient increase in circulation and the release of endorphins, providing only temporary symptomatic relief.
What is meant by "radiation", when referring to Lasers?
"Radiation" is often misinterpreted since it is also used to describe radioactive materials and ionized radiation. The use of the word "radiation" in terms of laser light is merely an expression of energy transmission.
Can Laser Therapy cause cancer?
No. Low Intensity Laser Therapy is very safe because it generally utilizes wavelengths above 632 nm. Therefore the laser beam is not producing ionizing radiation (which can cause cancer) like X-rays, Gamma rays etc. It is even safer then ordinary sunlight. Sunlight contains cancer-causing wavelengths (below 320 nm) such as ultra violet light.
2. Low Intensity Laser Therapy - Myths and Realities
Frequently, we are asked to compare Low Intensity Laser Therapy Systems with regard to power, frequency and other parameters. Accordingly, we are hereby attempting to inform readers about the significance of these factors.
Aside from this one, should always keep in mind that the most important objective of all therapies are:
To provide maximum clinical benefit in the shortest possible period of time.
To do no harm to the patient.
The Bioflex Low Intensity Laser Therapy System has several proprietary features particular to its unique design which cannot be revealed for purposes of patent protection. Nevertheless, it should be understood that its flexible treatment arrays, the ability to modulate output over an infinite range and total accuracy are critical to an effective, efficient delivery system. The ability to customize treatment for any individual patient is also essential.
Discussion of the following criteria should assist in the clarification of many issues. The principals at Meditech hope that the reader will be enlightened by these explanations.
Myth: Higher powered devices mean better therapy.
Reality: Power is not the only factor for effective treatment using laser therapy. Other important parameters are: frequency, duty cycle, waveform, treatment duration and of course energy density (J/cm2 ).
Myth: LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) or SLDs (Super Luminous Diodes) are not effective.
Reality: The differences between the characteristics of lasers and SLDs are:
Lasers are monochromatic, producing light output at a single wavelength. In contrast, SLDs, output a band of wavelengths. The band of wavelengths is the spectral width of the device.
Lasers are coherent. Basically, coherence is defined as the light waves being in phase.
Lasers are highly directional and can be easily focused to a point. In other words, lasers are less divergent than other light sources.
The higher power ratings of lasers are not obtainable with SLDs. However, the properties of lasers do not make a significant impact on the therapy when compared to SLDs for the purpose of irradiating cellular pathologies in an appropriate manner.
Wavelength(s) of the Light Source: A bandwidth that starts at approximately 600nm and ends at approximately 900nm (red-to-NIR region) has been identified as containing the wavelengths appropriate for laser therapy. No adverse effects have been documented for any wavelengths over this range. Therefore, even though SLDs emit most of their power at the rated wavelength, the additional wavelengths emitted are also a beneficial part of the therapy.
Coherence: Specially designed experiments at the cellular level have provided evidence that coherent and noncoherent light with the same wavelength, intensity, and irradiation time create equivalent biological effects. This is further supported with successful studies where SLDs were the only light sources.
Divergence: Since SLD light sources diverge more than laser sources, the SLD source spreads the light over a broader treatment area. However, the SLD would only require additional treatment time to match the dosage for an area treated by the laser source. Therefore, the energy delivered to an area can be equally produced by a SLD or a laser source with duration being the only variant.
Myth: Only certain wavelengths are effective.
Reality: Through many clinical trials and studies it has been documented that a range of wavelengths that starts at approximately 600nm and ends at approximately 900nm (red-to-NIR region) has been identified as the wavelengths appropriate for laser therapy to produce positive tissue response.
Myth: Frequency and duty cycle do not make a difference.
Reality: Clinical trials and basic research studies have revealed the importance of frequency and duty cycle with regard to treatment outcome. The ability to vary these over a wide range is essential.
Myth: Flexibility and contact are not important.
Reality: The power of the light decreases with the distance from the source and also attenuates as it passes through different media due to refraction and reflection. Applying the light source as close as possible to the injury produces the most effective energy transfer and therefore, the best results.
Myth: One protocol can be used to heal many ailments.
Reality: Clinical experience reveals that different medical conditions respond better to certain protocols than others; in addition, each individual is genetically different, therefore the ability to customize protocols is required for proper treatment.
Myth: Laser therapy simply modulates the symptoms and does not heal.
Reality: Light is absorbed by a variety of cellular components including chromophores, flavoproteins and other micromolecules in the tissue being irradiated. In essence, light energy is transformed into biochemical energy resulting in the restoration of normal cellular function. All tissue consists of cells and all cells respond to LILT in varying degrees.
Myth: All laser therapy does is heat the area being treated.
Reality: The primary healing mechanism is caused by the interaction of the light with tissue causing a number of physiological reactions. Although all light sources generate some heat, a properly designed laser therapy system minimizes the temperature rise of the treated area. Inadequately engineered devices may overheat the tissue, a substantially undesirable feature.
Myth: High power pulsed devices are more effective than others.
Reality: Some manufacturer’s instruments pulse light at very high power and for extremely brief duration. There is no evidence that this method produces actual improvement or any significant clinical effect in cells.
Myth: Frequency controls depth of penetration.
Reality: The wavelength of the light is one factor that controls the depth of penetration. This myth is the result of confusion between the rate of repetition (frequency) of the applied waveform and the wavelength of the light (frequency of light equals the inverse of wavelength). The power of the light source also affects the penetration depth.
Myth: Shorter treatment times at higher power are better than lower power for a longer treatment period in order to reduce therapy time.
Reality: There is an overdose range at which too much power inhibits recovery of the cell and therefore the cure of the pathology being treated. One cannot concentrate power into too short a time interval in order to reduce treatment times. Tissue has physiologic limitations resulting in a prolonged period of recovery if inappropriate therapy is utilized.
Myth: Place many different diodes with varying wavelengths into the same treatment head for efficient use of treatment time!
Reality: Basic researchers have shown that tissue processes light stimulation more efficiently utilizing diodes of similar wavelength at any one time. Indeed it has been noted that combining diodes of different wavelengths is contraindicated if effective therapy is to be achieved.
Myth: Laser therapy stimulates cancer development or variants of cancer cells.
Reality: In our experience there is no evidence that shows that laser light, either causes cancer or stimulates cancer cells to divide. Indeed, with correct usage of laser light patients with metastases suffering from severe pain, pleural effusions and other complications have responded extremely well with regard to pain reduction and other problems associated with malignancies. At the same time more research is essential in order to formulate permanent conclusions in the field of cancer treatment using laser. This is an area that must be explored.
Myth: Laser Therapy damages tissues.
Reality: High powered devices can definitely denature protein and damage molecules. Laser therapy is only effective if used in an appropriate, clinically effective time-tested fashion.