Laser Therapy

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At Prime Sports Med, we pride ourselves on staying up to date on treatment protocols and medical advances. Traumatic Brain Injuries, such as concussions, are often in the news regarding their damaging effects. These injures can unfortunately happen to anyone and can cause permanent effects of those who are injured. Treating traumatic brain injuries can be tricky. Cold laser therapy has been a treatment used for traumatic brain injuries for over a decade. However, there is new, exciting research being investigated regarding Class IV lasers, or warm lasers, being used in traumatic brain injury protocols.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is any injury caused by a jolt or a blow to the head. TBI are categorized as mild, moderate, and severe. It is important to note that the scale is relative to this type of injury. A mild TBI is still a serious injury. The most common TBI is a concussion, which happens when a sudden blow to the head causes the brain to be shaken around inside the skull.

While anyone can sustain a TBI, some groups, such as athletes, specifically those who play contact sports, military members in training or active duty, and individuals with fall risks, such as young children or senior citizens, are at a higher risk. TBI are common in vehicle accidents due to either whiplash from the head snapping forward and back or a blow to the head during the accident itself.

High-powered near-infrared (NIR) class IV lasers, like the ones we have at Prime Sports Med, have been shown to adequately penetrate the skull and deliver effective amounts of light to the brain. There have been several studies done involving both humans and animals with either acute or chronic TBI. The studies suggests that patients with TBI saw improved sleep and mood. 100% of patients in one study showed that their sleep concerns resolved, and depression and anxiety was down. Another study involving animals showed that class IV laser treatment performed within four hours of the injury had an impactful effect on the improvement of neurological function.

While more treatment protocol development and testing is needed, high-powered NIR laser therapy, like what we offer at Prime Sports Med, is a promising avenue for reducing the symptoms of TBI. Laser therapy is an outpatient treatment that is painless and noninvasive, making it preferred over surgery whenever possible. We at Prime Sports Med are excited to continue to learn and help develop treatment protocols for our patients and we currently offer class IV laser therapy for mild, acute concussions. We also work closely with concussion specialists to co-manage and coordinate care for moderate and severe concussions.

Learn more about TBI laser therapy treatment from the research done by the manufacturer of the class IV laser we have, Aspen Laser. Please click the link to be directed to several studies done regarding the benefits of laser therapy.

https://www.aspenlaseru.com/class-iv-laser-therapy-research/