LASER THERAPY
Laser Therapy is also called Electro-Therapy. Before going into a brief about Laser therapy first we need to know about LASER.
- LASER (Light Amplification of Stimulated Emission of Radiation)
It is a device that produces a beam of coherent monochromatic light( or other electromagnetic radiation) by exciting atoms to a higher energy level and causing them to radiate their energy.
In 1960, The first blast of Ruby laser light was developed by Dr. Theodre Miaman of Hughes Laboratories USA.
Properties of LASER
Monochromatic
In monochromaticity, the laser light has a single color, because this type of laser is of a single wavelength with a definite frequency.
Coherence
Laser radiation is not of the same wavelength but has the same phase.
Collimation
The laser beam follows a parallel pattern they do not diverge and the beam energy can be transmitted to a larger distance.
How Lasers Work
A laser is nothing but photons emitted by the excited electrons as they absorb energy from electrical current and other lasers. While emitting photons these excited electrons migrate from lower energy orbit to the higher.
Types of LASER
Ruby Laser
Ruby is generally used as a lasing medium, usually, synthetic ruby is used to generate this type of laser it is also known as Crystal Laser. Xenon tube is used to give the intense flash of white light which excites the ruby molecule hence producing the laser light.
Gas Laser
This device contains a combination of primarily helium and neon in a low-pressure tube. This low-pressure tube is surrounded by a flashgun which excites the atom to a higher energy level, thus producing the laser. It is also known as Helium-Neon LASER.
Diode LASER
Gallium and Arsenide are used as diodes or semiconductors to produce an infrared invisible laser with a wavelength of 904nm. It is also called Semiconductor laser
Benefits of Laser Therapy
Laser light is not just only used for cutting metals and shaping diamonds, it is now widely used in the medical field also. The laser allows a surgeon to work at high levels of precision, enabling them to focus on a smaller area, thus avoiding damage to surrounding tissue. Laser therapy is also used for:
- Destroying tumor, polyps
- Removing of kidney stones
- Eye surgery/Cataract removal
- Tooth whitening
- Tattoo, scar, wrinkle removal
The laser is also being used to treat different cancers.
- Vulvar cancer
- Cervical Cancer
- Lung cancer
- Skin cancer
Laser Classes
Lasers are divided into several classes based on power and wavelength. The laser used for therapeutic purposes is called Therapeutic laser, which belongs to class 3B, this class of laser is generally Low-Level Laser Therapy(LLLT) and used in many therapies because of having less power, ranging within 500mW.
High-Intensity Laser, In this type of laser the power developed, is more than 500mW, falls in class 4.
High Intensity Laser
High-Intensity laser (HIL) uses a high power for deep tissue penetration. It is mainly used for pain management, particularly effective in muscle strain, joint distortion, knee pain, back main, and neck pain.
Low-Level Laser Therapy
In Low-Level Laser Therapy , red and near-infrared light applied over injuries, wounds to promote healing, reduce inflammation, and to give relief to both acute and chronic pain.
The Bottom Line
Laser Therapy is the latest technology and now its being used in almost every medical field.With the help of Laser Therapy, most critical surgeries like Eye surgery/Cataract, kidney stone removal, tumor and polyps removal are performed without putting the patient’s life in danger.
Other therapeutic uses of Laser Therapy are in the process of research to uncover more uses of Laser Therapy.
Tags: types of laser therapy, laser therapy defination.