Low-level Laser Therapy (LLLT)

What is Laser Therapy?

Cold Laser Therapy or Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT) is low-intensity laser therapy that stimulates healing while using specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissue and is thought to help accelerate the healing process. It can be used on dogs who suffer from a variety of acute and chronic conditions to help reduce or eliminate pain, swelling, and spasms and increase functionality.
The technique is called “cold” laser therapy because the low levels of light aren’t enough to heat the dog’s tissue. The light emitted penetrates 2 to 5 centimeters below the skin, passing through the skins layers (the dermis, epidermis and the subcutaneous tissue under the skin). The red and near-infrared light cause a reaction, and the damaged cells respond with a physiological reaction that promotes regeneration. This process can be compared to photosynthesis in plants - sunlight is absorbed by plants, which is then converted to usable energy so that the plant can grow.
Although the dog feels the laser device touching its skin, the procedure is painless and noninvasive. There is no sound, vibration or heat. The handheld device (the size of a flashlight) is placed directly on the injured area for about 1 minute. Treatment time may last for up to 15 minutes.
Laser therapy can be used in the treatment of minor injuries and sprains, such as ligament sprains, muscle strains, pain associated with acute and chronic arthritis, joint pain, to help reduce swelling, heal skin from burns, swelling, rashes and wound healing.
One of the drawbacks of this therapy may be time. While each cold laser therapy session only takes a few minutes, it may take as long as a month (with as many as four treatments a week) before you can gauge its effectiveness. Dogs do not typically get full relief from their pain symptoms after the first treatment. It takes a series of treatments, usually 8 to 30, depending on the severity and duration of the condition.

What to expect in an Appointment

Prior to the first Appointment

Dogs that have been injured or have a degenerative disease will require a Vet referral that needs to reach us at least 24 hours prior to your appointment. When booking your first appointment, please contact us so that we can arrange a referral. A referral does not require you to book an appointment – it is a form that is emailed to your vet clinic.

Assessments

At the first appointment, we will conduct an assessment prior to treatment. We also recommend regular assessments to be conducted on a regular basis to measure improvement and function. Assessments are split into three sections:

Subjective assessment – this is an interview where we discuss why the dog has been brought to us, what we are hoping to achieve through rehabilitation and what their daily lives look like.
Physical assessment – this is where we view the dog and assess their conformation and posture, we assess their body for areas of tension, any joint thickening and any muscle atrophy
Functional assessment – this is where we put the dog through activities to assess treatments that can assist. This includes looking at them walking and trotting, sitting, lying down, stairs etc.

The Laser Therapy Appointment

There are two types of Laser Therapy that we do depending on the reason for treatment. Where the treatment is localized (a wound, skin irritation, surgical site etc), the laser therapy device is placed directly to the site for the required period of time.
Where the treatment is more widespread (arthritis, degenerative diseases etc), laser therapy is used in a similar manner to acupressure. We place the laser on meridian (energy lines) points on the dog to encourage healing and recovery.

Benefits of Regular Laser

One of the drawbacks of this therapy may be time. While each cold laser therapy session only takes a few minutes, it may take as long as a month (with as many as four treatments a week) before you can gauge its effectiveness. Dogs do not typically get full relief from their pain symptoms after the first treatment. It takes a series of treatments, usually 8 to 30, depending on the severity and duration of the condition.

Why Laser Therapy may not be for your dog

We will not complete a laser therapy session when there is the presence of carcinomas or cancerous lesions or if the dog is pregnant.
One of the reasons we ask for a vet referral is that there are certain medications that can create photosensitivities (some antibiotics and antifungals) and if the dog is on these, we cannot complete a laser session.
There are also areas where we wont place the laser – over the thyroid or eyes. To protect everyones eyes, we have goggles for the dog and for the therapist. We do encourage clients (owners) to bring their own eye protection in the form of sunglasses.