Better Together: How Integrating Laser Therapy into Physical Therapy Protocols Accelerates Recovery
Educational
By Dr. Mark Klaassen, Orthopedic Surgeon, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine; Professor, College of Science, University of Notre Dame; and Author of Bone Voyage: Following One Surgeon on the Journey of a Lifetime
As surgeons, we know that our work in the operating room, however precise, is only the starting point for a patient’s full recovery. The quality and efficiency of post-operative rehab are what truly define a patient’s return to function and long-term success. While physical therapy remains the cornerstone of this process, its progress can often be hampered by the very things surgery aims to fix: pain and inflammation. These common post-operative hurdles are not just matters of comfort; they are significant physiological barriers to recovery.
In my practice, I have seen how creating a synergy between advanced modalities and traditional rehab can transform the patient experience. By integrating a specific type of medical laser treatment known as photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) with physical therapy, we can address these primary barriers head-on. This safe, evidence-based approach uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate healing at the cellular level, accelerating the recovery and improving the outcomes we all strive for. We are evolving multimodal pain therapies like photobiomodulation (PBMT) to allow comfortable recovery from big surgeries, concentrating on diminishing swelling, inflammation, and pain.
Making Physical Therapy More Effective by Overcoming Inhibition
The primary challenge in early post-operative rehab is the tandem of pain and swelling. This isn’t just a comfort issue—it’s a physiological barrier that can trigger arthrogenic muscle inhibition, a process where the nervous system shuts down muscle function around an injured joint to protect it. This neural guarding makes strengthening exercises for crucial muscles, like the quadriceps after knee surgery, incredibly difficult and can significantly slow the entire recovery timeline. Patients can’t strengthen a muscle they can’t effectively contract.
Laser therapy directly addresses this core challenge. By applying laser therapy before a physical therapy session, we can significantly reduce pain and the pro-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to swelling. This pre-treatment protocol does more than make the patient comfortable; it creates a superior physiological environment for therapy to succeed, leading to:
- Improved Engagement and Tolerance: With less pain, patients can engage more fully in their prescribed exercises. They can achieve a greater range of motion earlier and perform movements with more confidence and less apprehension.
- Faster Functional Gains: When muscle inhibition is reduced, therapeutic exercises are more effective, allowing patients to meet recovery milestones faster. A 2024 clinical trial highlighted this, finding that patients receiving laser therapy reported greater pain relief and functional gains than those treated with other modalities (1).
- Enhanced Patient Morale: Nothing motivates a patient like progress. A smoother, less painful rehab process leads to better compliance with their care plan and a more positive outlook, which are critical components of a successful recovery.
A Win for the Entire Care Team
For the referring surgeon, this integrated approach provides tangible benefits that align perfectly with modern, value-based care principles. When our patients participate more effectively in their rehab, they are more likely to meet or exceed post-operative milestones. This is particularly effective in common scenarios like ACL reconstruction, where overcoming quad inhibition is paramount, and rotator cuff repair, where controlling inflammation is key to restoring early, pain-free motion. Integrating laser therapy provides a proactive, non-opioid tool to manage pain and swelling from the outset. It demonstrates a commitment to providing patients with the most advanced recovery technology available, reinforcing the quality of care from the OR through to final recovery.
For physical therapists, laser therapy provides a powerful way to differentiate their practice in a competitive market. Offering an advanced, non-invasive modality that gets tangible results is a significant value-add. In high-demand settings, where patient throughput and satisfaction scores matter, leveraging technology that can shorten recovery timelines and improve measurable outcomes is a strategic advantage. Therapists can break through recovery plateaus that are often caused by persistent pain and inflammation, helping patients achieve their goals more efficiently.
A New Standard for Post-Operative Recovery
The traditional model of post-operative care has served us well, but we can do better. We now understand the profound impact that uncontrolled inflammation has on muscle function and a patient’s ability to participate in their own recovery. Simply sending a patient to physical therapy without equipping them to succeed is a missed opportunity.
By pairing the surgical solution with an advanced therapeutic one like laser therapy, we offer a more complete and effective episode of care. We empower our physical therapy partners to be more effective and give our patients a less painful, more encouraging, and faster path back to the lives they want to live. This integrated model is more than just an improvement—it sets a new standard for post-operative recovery.
Reference
- Ozlu, O., Atilgan, E. The effect of high-intensity laser therapy on pain and lower extremity function in patellofemoral pain syndrome: a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Lasers Med Sci 2024,39, 103. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10103-024-04017-y.
- Vignali, L., Cialdai, F., Monici, M. Effects of MLS laser on myoblast cell line C2C12. (n.d.). ASA Laser Energy for Health 07, https://ortholazer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2.OL-Clinical-Studies-Effects-of-MLS-Laser-on-Myoblast-Cell-Line-C2C12.pdf
