Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), is a relatively new medical field that emerged in the mid-1960s, shortly after the invention of the first functional laser. It was radical in that it focused on the non-destructive medical capabilities of laser light, whereas pre-laser studies of the medical uses of light focused on its thermal and destructive powers. LLLT involves the use of low-power lasers to inhibit or stimulate cell functions.
The pros of cold laser therapy
Cold laser therapy began with the pioneering studies of Endre Mester, a Hungarian researcher at the Semmelweis University in Budapest. In 1967, Mester showed the potential to stimulate tissue repair using low-level laser light. One of his main goals was to use the procedure to successfully treat diabetic ulcers.
Subsequent research by scientists who came after Mester revealed that cold level laser therapy had a variety of potential medical benefits. To this day, people continue to find and test new ways to use cold laser light to treat physical ailments. Low lever laser treatments can relieve neck pain, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, and various muscle ailments. Studies are still underway to determine whether or not cold laser therapy has the potential to aid in hair growth and wound tissue healing. LLLT is also painless and non-invasive, and negative side effects have never been reported.
The cons of low level laser therapy
One of the disadvantages of LLLT is that it is still a nascent field, and the lack of an official scientific methodology often results in some studies being conducted without proper scientific procedures. Many companies that advertise the benefits of certain types of low-level laser treatment, in other words, sometimes have no real scientific evidence to back up their claim.
And while the benefits of low-level laser therapy in treating things like muscle pain are proven, there isn’t enough evidence to show that the treatment is effective for hair growth or scar healing. This is precisely why the FDA has officially approved some cold laser treatments, while at the same time still considering the general field of cold laser therapy to be experimental.