Cold
Laser
Therapy
Among the range of alternative veterinary treatments we offer is Cold Laser, or Low-Level Light therapy, using low-power laser light to relieve pain, and enhance cell function.
Learn more below...
Our laser system...
Mirthwood uses a portable veterinary-specialized laser by Cutting Edge Laser Technologies - the Multiwave Locked System (MLS).
Click to watch the video on the right as veterinarians give an overview of how the MLS therapeutic laser system is used on patients in their own practices.
Although laser therapy is equally effective on humans, our system is specially built for use on animals in a professional veterinary environment.
More details on how it works and how it can help your pet below...
What is Cold Laser therapy?
Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy, is a form of treatment that involves applying light-emitting diodes (otherwise known as low-light lasers) to the surface of the skin.
Cold laser therapy affects injuries and pains—both chronic and acute—at a cellular level.
This type of treatment works exceptionally well for inflammation and pain across a wide variety of ailments
What is a laser anyway?
Ordinary light, whether produced by heating a filament (incandescent) or ionizing a gas (fluorescent), showers us with many wavelengths, random and unsynchronized. Laser light is produced by inducing resonance in the atoms of certain gasses (like Neon, Helium or Argon) in such a way that each pulse of emitted light is exactly the same wavelength (or color) as those produced by the other atoms in the chamber. In addition, each pulse of light is exactly 'lined up' so that every pulse reinforces the others.
To understand why lasers are so powerful, imagine a room full of people milling around, randomly bumping into each other, the walls, and the doors. Each 'bump' releases a little bit of energy but the walls and doors easily absorb this with no problem since the bumps are random and each one has only a bit of force.
Now imagine that all the people line up and approach the door in such a way as to strike it all together, acting as one, all at the very same time at the same spot. The striking force is now the TOTAL of all their combined energy, released all at once. The door could break under that combined force even though no one put forth any more effort than before.
In a laser, light waves are all the same length and size. They 'line up' like the folks in our room, each light wave striking with the combined power all ALL the waves adding their strength together.
A 200 watt light bulb provides comfortable light for a person to work at a desk. A 10 milliwatt laser (20,000 times less power) can burn a hole in the retina of a human eye faster than a person can blink. A 50 watt laser (4 times less power) can reach the Moon's surface, bounce off a reflector and make it all the way back to the Earth. Even a laser pointer with 1/200th of a single watt can project a beam out of the atmosphere. Lasers are very powerful!
Our MLS therapeutic laser system is a class IV device, with an average output power of 1-2 watts. While 'home' laser therapy devices are available, they don't have the power (less than 1/8th) of a professional system, which can penetrate much deeper into the body (2 inches) and is only legal to use by licensed personnel in a medical setting. Our system also has 2 distinct laser sources or different wavelengths, working in concert to provide multiple aspects of treatment simultaneously.
What is Laser therapy?
Laser therapy helps promote tissue healing and pain relief through a process called photobiomodulation, meaning that the laser light penetrates the cells in the treated area and is converted into useful energy. This energy stimulates cells to release chemicals involved in growth, repair, and proliferation.
When the body is healing from injury or inflammation, natural processes occur that increase blood flow to the area, delivering essential chemicals or signals to encourage cells to grow, repair, and divide.
Cold laser therapy aims to speed this process up by improving the body’s natural healing mechanisms. Our system can reach 2 inches inches beneath the skin to speed healing and pain relief without being invasive in any way.
How does it help?
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Releases endorphins – These are natural chemicals in the body that have many functions, including reducing pain signals.
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Vasodilation – This is the widening of blood vessels which increases blood flow to damaged tissue bringing oxygen and natural healing chemicals.
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Muscle relaxation – The muscles around an injury or an inflamed joint can become stiff and painful to compensate. Relaxation of these muscles improves comfort for pets.
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Decreasing inflammation – Eases pain, swelling and stiffness. This is one of the most common conditions that we treat in our own practice
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Promoting cell growth and repair – Penetrates deeply into tissue, accelerating cellular growth, increasing the cells' ability to take on nutrients faster and get rid of waste products so that damaged cells are repaired faster.
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Reduced fibrous tissue formation – Reduces the formation of scar tissue following tissue damage from cuts, scratches, burns or surgery
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Improved nerve function – Slow recovery of nerve functions in damaged tissue can result in numbness and impaired limbs. Laser light speeds the process of nerve cell re-connection to optimize muscle healing
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Patient safety without the risk of collateral tissue damage
Types of conditions treated by Laser therapy
Laser therapy can be used to treat a variety of conditions. Below are some that we commonly treat with it:
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Muscle strains
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Joint pain
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Soft tissue injuries
Any soft tissue injury that causes pain or inflammation in your pet may benefit from the use of cold laser therapy
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Bite wounds
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Weak bladder
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Burns
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Infection
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Thrombophilbitis
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Hoof bruises
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Tendon tear
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Stomatitis
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Infected wounds
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Back pain
Is Laser therapy a good choice for my pet?
Your veterinarian may recommend cold laser therapy as a treatment or adjunct treatment for your pet and will explain the goals of the treatment at your visit. Some things to know about laser treatment are:
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Treatment is not invasive - No needles, chemicals or meds. Laser light penetrates deeply into tissue to do its work without cutting, poking, shaving or otherwise irritating your pet
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Treatment is typically painless - While there can be a slight sensation of warmth under the laser beam, usually pets feel no sensation and the laser does not hurt or burn
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Injuries heal faster - The internal cellular mechanisms of growth and repair are specifically stimulated by laser light of a particular wavelength (905nm), which leads to accelerated healing.
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A series of treatments may be recommended - Some injuries and accidents can be treated with one application, but chronic problems (arthritis, IVDD, joint pain) which have been developing for awhile may need a series of visits to treat
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Laser treatment can't treat cancer - One of the aspects of laser therapy it that it speeds up cellular processes, if used on cancerous tissue it can make cancer grow faster