With the start of the first school term, kids are starting all the extra after-school activities – dance classes, tennis lessons, gymnastics, soccer and even winter sports. It is great getting the kids involved in these healthy pursuits and leading active lifestyles, but with physical sports comes the risk of injury – what happens when you get that call from the dance instructor that your child has a sprained their ankle while practising for Saturday’s concert, or comes home with a sprained wrist from basketball training?
Treating Sprains with a Handy Pulse Laser
The common treatment for these injuries that don’t require plaster casts or surgery is simply RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). However, many health professionals would add an extra letter L – for Laser – RICE+L. Low level laser therapy devices at home – as close to hand as an icepack – can greatly improve recovery time to ease your child’s pain and get them moving again sooner.
Many professional athletes are supporters of low level laser therapy devices and report a much speedier recover from their sports-related injuries.
A study conducted with some soccer players compared the difference between RICE and RICE+L. They were divided into three groups - the first group was treated with the conventional RICE method, the second group treated with RICE plus placebo laser (ie a pretend laser), the third group was given the RICE method together with the laser treatment (RICE+L). Results showed that after 24 hours the group treated with RICE+L showed a significant reduction in the swelling compared to the other two groups. (Stergioulas 2004)
So how does it work? Many people are unfamiliar with Low Level Laser Therapy even though the technology was invented over 60 years ago. Low Level Laser Therapy is a form of light therapy or photobiomodulation that uses laser or LED light at the low end of the light spectrum (hence the name “low-level laser”). It is also called “cold laser” because at the low end of the light spectrum the lasers do not generate heat (compared to surgical lasers used to burn away tissue or hair follicles).
With a few short treatments using the laser, your child’s discomfort can be greatly reduced and the healing process is much faster.
The low-level laser light particles are gently absorbed through the skin going deep into the damaged tissue. The body’s mechanisms convert the light particles from the Laser and LED into energy, in a similar way that the body converts sunlight into vitamin D. The light energy immediately goes to work at the cellular level, energising the cells to accelerate the body’s natural anti-inflammatory response to injury. Blood circulation is increased which accelerates healing by reducing inflammation. When the swelling goes down the pain goes down too. With a few short treatments using the laser, your child’s discomfort can be greatly reduced and the healing process is much faster.
The laser device can also be used to help ‘warm up’ muscles and tendons that may be prone to injury before exercise. Using a laser for a few minutes on a problematic knee or ankle before exercising can help prevent injury, so an athlete can perform at their best.
Just point the laser directly on the site of the pain and simply start the auto-timed 5 minute session.
Low Level Laser therapy devices have a wide range of applications – not restricted only to sports injuries. Many adults have desk-bound jobs, sitting at a computer all day, often with poor posture. Or perhaps have physical jobs, lifting heavy objects and on our feet all day. We come home with a migraine, shoulder, back or neck pain and maybe also have a case of repetitive strain injuries such as “mouse-wrist”. Everyone in the family can use the Pulse Laser to treat mild or major pain on a regular basis. The pulse laser can be used for a short session to help reduce the pain associated with these common complaints. Just point the laser directly on the site of the pain and simply start the auto-timed 5 minute session.
When grandparents come to visit they may find the laser handy to help with symptoms associated with arthritis, bursitis or the general aches and joint pains that come with ageing. It is a non-invasive way of treating these conditions, and helps reduce the reliance on anti-inflammatory medication or professional clinical treatments for relief.
The Handy Pulse Laser is just what the name implies – a hand-held low level laser therapy device you can keep close at hand in your medicine cupboard for the whole family to use. It will come in handy for every accident, strain, sprain, burn or bruise that parents know are a part of life for active kids.
You can buy Low Level Laser Therapy devices from our website.
It’s a pain relief in the palm of your hand!
Yes, excellent device. Every family should have one with young children or older folk with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Good for lumbosacral disc disease, easing shoulder pain and tennis elbow. Use them in my clinic and bought another so I could use at home."~ Dr. Andrew F., Word of Mouth review
