By Mary Beth Schweigert
Updated Feb 04, 2008 06:00
The pain and numbness in her hands woke her up at night.
In fall 2004, Townsend, who works as a machinist, was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands.
“I figured I was in for surgery, and I was not looking forward to it,” she says.
Then the New Holland woman saw chiropractor Paul Newhart for low-level laser treatments.
Within weeks, Townsend’s numbness and tingling subsided. Pain no longer disturbed her sleep.
“It’s a great way to go rather than having the surgery,” Townsend says of the lasertherapy.
“I’ve heard of people having surgery, and it doesn’t work anyway and you’re left with the scars.”
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The red or infrared light applied in low-level laser therapy speeds healing and relieves pain and inflammation.
For some patients, like Townsend, it can be a painless, noninvasive alternative to surgery.
European and Japanese practitioners have treated pain with low-level lasers for about 15 years, says chiropractor Rustin Glass, of Advanced Chiropractic and Rehab, Lancaster.
(Lasers to correct everything from varicose veins to poor vision use higher doses of light.)
In 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved laser therapy to treat such conditions as carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis and sports injuries.
Chiropractors, physical therapists and other pain-management specialists quickly began to explore the possibilities.
“It’s used for any type of injury,” says Newhart, who practices at Leola Family Health Center. “It helps your body heal quicker and get the inflammation under control.”
Glass and Newhart have each treated hundreds of patients with laser therapy since 2004.
“It’s been a really good addition to some of the therapies we use in the office,” says Glass, who estimates lasers are part of the treatment for 75 percent of his patients.
Newhart has even treated his young son’s black-and-blue mark and an assistant’s cold sore, with good results.
Laser treatments and cortisone shots freed Myrtle Douchane of Gordonville from knee pain so severe she couldn’t walk.
“I’m so happy with my knees,” says Douchane, who now walks without a cane. “I never even think about it anymore. I can move them up and down and bend over and all that good stuff.”
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Laser treatments take anywhere from seconds to 10 minutes, depending on the injury’s severity and whether it’s new or chronic.
Each treatment costs an average of $20 to $50. Most insurers pick up the tab, Glass says, but some companies consider laser therapy experimental, even though it’s FDA-approved.
Patients with mild injuries may see improvement right away, but chronic conditions like carpal tunnel can take several treatments.
Lasers like Newhart’s, which cost him $8,000, are easy to operate but still require training.
The operator simply aims the laser at the injured area, with more serious or chronic injuries requiring higher doses and longer application times.
The treatment is painless, but some patients report mild achiness.
Practitioners often recommend follow-up stretching and strengthening exercises. People with chronic conditions may need “maintenance” treatments for further flare-ups.
Nursing-home employee Cindy Portner injured her back while transferring a patient.
Surgery and physical therapy didn’t completely clear up the bulging and herniated discs in her lower back.
“The laser really helps with the inflammation and spasms,” says Portner, of Akron. “It’s a really good alternative to taking a lot of medications.”
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Laser therapy shows particular promise in treating carpal tunnel syndrome, which is notoriously tricky to cure, Glass says.
“It got to the point where I didn’t like treating carpal tunnel, because I didn’t have good outcomes with it,” he says. “There (are) just very few options for people aside from surgery.”
Carpal tunnel syndrome often strikes people like Townsend, whose jobs require repetitive hand movements.
Glass estimates he’s had a 70 to 80 percent success rate using lasers on carpal tunnel syndrome patients, who may require 12 to 18 treatments.
He predicts laser therapy will go even more mainstream.
Glass says: “It just opens a whole new range of possibilities in treating problems that are sometimes very stubborn to work with.”
