How Photobiomodulation is changing healthcare

The use of lasers in healthcare has a very interesting history. Albert Einstein first theorized the possibility of building a laser device in the early 1900s. In the 1960s Theodore Maimon invented the first laser and soon afterwards nearly all of the laser types used in healthcare were invented.

In 1967 physician Andre Mester was trying to repeat experiments showing that lasers could be used to treat malignant tumors. Mester’s laser device was very low in power and did not have an effect on the tumors; however, it did cause more rapid hair growth in the test animals. This accidental discovery was the landmark moment in the history of laser therapy.

In 2015 a worldwide panel of experts convened to agree upon a term that would be acceptable to everyone involved, that would describe the effect of therapeutic lasers, and would take the place of the dozens of terms being used to that time (i.e., cold laser, low-level laser, low-reactive laser, etc). The term they agreed upon was “photobiomodulation”: using light to modulate biological processes.

The official definition is, “A form of light therapy that utilizes non-ionizing forms of light sources, including LASERS, LEDs, and broad-band light, in the visible and infrared spectrum. It is a non-thermal process involving endogenous chromophores eliciting photophysical (i.e., linear and non-linear) and photochemical events at various biological scales. This process results in beneficial therapeutic outcomes including but not limited to the alleviation of pain or inflammation, immunomodulation, and promotion of wound healing and tissue regeneration.”

From the 1970s through the 2000s therapeutic lasers used in healthcare were very low in power, being class three laser devices. Like a light bulb, low power with a therapy laser means that the light is not very bright. A 40-Watt light bulb would not be sufficient to fully illuminate a large room. In similar way the earliest therapeutic laser devices were not powerful enough to deliver light deep into the body.

The first therapeutic laser to gain FDA clearance used 100 milliwatts of power and an 830-nanometer wavelength. It was used to treat carpal tunnel syndrome in automobile factory workers. The nerves in the wrist are not very deep, so photons from that device could reach the nerves and have a beneficial effect. However, these devices would not be very effective at treating low back pain, hip pain or at reaching any other tissue deep inside the body.

In 2003 the FDA gave clearance to the first class 4 therapy laser device. In the 18 years since then class 4 therapy lasers have virtually become standard of care in health care clinics treating both human and animal patients. Veterinarians use class 4 therapeutic lasers to treat conditions ranging from post-surgical incision healing to canine ear infections to osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia.

Today in human medicine, therapeutic lasers are used in chiropractic offices for musculoskeletal pain and ailments. They are used in physical therapy clinics, pain management clinics, and concierge medical clinics. Class 4 therapeutic lasers are used widely in sports athletic training rooms. Athletic trainers have realized the benefit of using laser therapy over ice for acute injuries.

Regenerative medicine is the use of various injections to stimulate healing in the body. These would include prolotherapy, platelet rich plasma therapy, and stem cell injections. Whenever these injections are performed the patient will have significant post injection pain. Class 4 therapeutic lasers can be used immediately after these injections to help with that pain.

New studies are showing that therapeutic lasers help with the effectiveness of regenerative medicine injections. We are on the brink of an exciting field in health care. New techniques, materials and methods are showing great promise to help patients recover from traumatic injuries, peripheral neuropathy, neuro degenerative diseases and more.

Photobiomodulation is here to stay. Class 4 therapeutic lasers are here to stay. In the 18 years since gaining FDA clearance the numbers of units used in healthcare has grown exponentially. The future is bright - these devices will become standard of care in all healthcare disciplines.