Cold laser therapy (also known as low level laser therapy, or LLLT) is one of the most recent developments in the field of medical laser technology, and one that is currently still undergoing the process of gaining mainstream acceptance in the medical community. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved cold laser therapy for several different types of treatment procedures, but it still considers the field to be “experimental” and its effectiveness in surgery to be in need of further scientific verification and study. Right now, the FDA allows cold laser medical technology to be freely used in investigational studies, largely based on solid evidence that points to cold laser therapy being effective in providing temporary pain relief.

Scientists and doctors working in the field of cold laser therapy are currently working diligently to conduct further studies in order to bring cold laser medical technology to the forefront of alternative medicine. Proponents of cold laser therapy point to evidence showing that cold laser devices are effective at alleviating inflammation and speeding up the process of wound healing, which is helpful for patients who are recovering from recent surgery. Low level lasers are used directly over the affected area and their application is pain-free and induces little discomfort.

Background

Cold laser therapy is one of the newest developments in laser technology. It came about in the mid 1960s, shortly after the first working laser was successfully tested in 1960 by American physicist Theodore Maiman at the Hughes Research Laboratories. The founder of the cold laser medical field is largely acknowledge to be Hungarian researcher Endre Mester, whose pioneering studies at Semmelweis University in Budapest demonstrated the potential for stimulating tissue repair via the application of low level laser light.

Cold laser medical technology was revolutionary in that it shifted the focus to the non-destructive capabilities of laser light, while the medical use of lasers has largely been based on the destructive and thermal attributes of the laser. Rather than using highly focused lasers as, essentially, highly precise scalpels for surgical procedures, cold laser technology uses low power lasers to simulate or alter cell functions in human tissue.

Current Study

Since Mester’s founding studies, scientists have continued to delve into the possible uses of low level laser light in a variety of medical fields. The use of cold laser therapy has been shown to be especially effective in stimulating healing during post-surgery. Today people are still working on finding and testing new ways of effectively using low level lasers to treat medical ailments.

Cold laser medical devices have been shown to help with (among other things) neck pain, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and a variety of muscular related ailments. The effectiveness of cold laser devices in hair growth procedures is still being studied. Some of the biggest benefits of low level laser therapy include its non-invasive nature, painless procedure, nonexistent negative side-effects and that it requires no recovery period whatsoever.

FDA Approval

Thanks to the extensive research and studies being done by medical professionals invested in the field, a variety of cold laser treatments have been officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In November of 2006, low level lasers were approved for the treatment of lymphedema. In March of 2009, LLLs were approved for the treatment of arthritis and various types of chronic pain.

Controlled scientific studies are currently underway to verify the effectiveness of cold laser devices in the treatment of severe injury wounds. If the healing properties of cold lasers are confirmed (which appears more and more to be the likely outcome) cold laser treatments are likely to become an integral component of routine medical care in the near future.

Another unique way in which cold lasers are being effectively put to use is in the field of acupuncture. This involves the use of low level laser beams (in lieu of acupuncture needles) to stimulate the body’s key acupoints. This has proven especially popular among patients who want to get the benefits of acupuncture treatments but who have a strong aversion to needles.