If you’re an orthopedic surgeon who regularly treats people with knee pain, you may be interested in learning more about laser therapy. This treatment option is becoming more and more popular – especially since October 2021 when the AAOS solidly endorsed laser therapy as being both effective and safe for the treatment of knee pain.
How laser therapy works
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is unlike high-level laser treatment, which can cut or burn the skin. Instead of causing damage to skin tissue, LLLT beams light energy at your skin, sending a 30-second light pulse into your knee. This pulse of light energy penetrates deep into the knee joint, triggering chemical changes that help with the healing and regrowth of damaged cells and tissues.
During a session, the laser will be aimed at the affected area, and the light will penetrate that area without causing discomfort. The light energy will be absorbed by the body as cell energy, and this will immediately be used to fight inflammation, suppress pain, and bring about accelerated healing.
Is laser therapy safe for treating knee pain?
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) is an organization that serves to educate and inform member surgeons about all the latest procedures and techniques, all for the betterment of medical outcomes. In its October 2021 announcement on recommendations for treatment, the AAOS not only endorsed laser therapy as being both effective and safe for the treatment of knee pain but further stated that patients can expect to benefit from improvements in pain management and functionality. Even better, no major side effects have been reported because of laser therapy.
Will laser therapy work on knee pain?
Knee pain can be caused by several different factors, osteoarthritis being one of them. Patients with osteoarthritis probably already know it is an incurable condition, and they must continue taking pain medications to manage it. Laser therapy is another alternative now available to these patients. Most other types of knee pain are also treatable through laser therapy.
This approach to managing pain and inflammation is generally much easier on the patient, and it achieves lasting results.
If all this sounds pretty good to you, we invite you to contact us today to learn how we can help you.
OrthoLazer Orthopedic Laser Centers offer patients and their doctors an innovative and effective alternative pain management option to treat acute and chronic orthopedic conditions. Founded by Dr. Scott Sigman – the original opioid-sparing surgeon – our centers further his mission of providing his patients non-operative and non-opioid treatment options. If you’d like more information about OrthoLazer, please visit our website at ortholazerdev.wpengine.com.
