Cold Laser Therapy

One of the most exciting and promising developments to occur in veterinary and human medicine in recent times, cold laser therapy has enormous potential to improve and enhance all other modalities of medical care.

This treatment involves using light energy to treat disease states. Simply put, most living creatures, other than those that have adapted to a lightless environment, depend directly or indirectly on light energy to survive.  Without light, plants cannot metabolize, grow, and store energy to be passed on as a food source. Without light, animals, including our pets and ourselves, would perish from a lack of Vitamin D, which is synthesized in the body as a result of exposure to sunlight. Heliotropic therapy, merely exposing patients to sunlight, has been a recognized mode of treatment since the time of Hippocrates (460 to 370 B.C.), and is still in use. A recent study in hospitals showed that spinal surgery patients assigned to bright, sunny recovery rooms needed much less pain medication to stay comfortable.

How does Cold Laser therapy work? The primary effects are in stimulating metabolic processes on the cellular level. Specifically, photons (energy) in the laser beam stimulate increased production of ATP, the intracellular energy storage molecule. In addition, laser energy promotes increased proliferation of normal (not cancerous) tissue, which means healing is accelerated. Also, increased cell membrane permeability and increased production of "endogenous opiates", which are the bodies natural pain releiving mechanism. Finally, another important effect is the inhibition of the production of leukotrienes in cells and tissues. Leukotrienes are biological mediators of inflammation and pain. In other words, cold laser therapy helps promote healing and relieve pain quickly, without having to resort to drugs that can have dangerous side effects, such as corticosteroids and non-steroidal antiinflammatories.  

Practical applications include treating superficial infections such as external ear infections, and inflammatory problems such as "hot spots", as well as inflammation of the gums (gingivitis). Very importantly, arthritic pain in joints and along the spine, as well as muscle soreness responds very well to cold laser treatment.

At Wellspring, we use Class I through Class III laser therapy to enhance the effects of other treatments. The treatment is safe and effective, and we are very excited about the positive results we are seeing. Your pets treatment will only be performed by Dr. Kerr, as we feel that these treatments should only be administered by a licensed veterinarian.