Acupuncture vs. Cold Laser Therapy for Injuries and Pain

Few things are as distressful or as disabling as pain symptoms. And if you're an athlete, a dancer or someone who works out regularly, you probably have had to deal with pains and strains that keep you from living your life the way you want to.

Sometimes it's a matter of rest and NSAIDS like ibuprofen to reduce inflammation. But that takes time. We all want to get back on our feet as quickly as possible. Two significantly effective drug free treatments for pain are acupuncture and cold laser therapy. Both treatments are offered by experienced professionals and work very well to relieve pain symptoms virtually anywhere in the body. If you have pain that lasts more than a few days, you can consider these two, side effect free alternatives.

Acupuncture Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine. It's believed that the treatment balances the flow of your energy, specifically referred to as qi, in your body. However, many western practitioners believe that acupuncture stimulates your connective tissues, muscles, and nerves and that the needles enhance your body’s natural painkilling powers. For acupuncture, you’ll need to lie down on an exam table, and your practitioner will apply thin needles into different areas of your body to access specifically targeted points. The needles will stay inserted for a prescribed amount of time depending on the issue, before being gently removed. Sometimes, doctors apply heat or a gentle electrical current into the needles, but this isn’t always necessary. Acupuncture may benefit as treatment for a variety of types of pain and discomfort, such as back or neck pain and pain from osteoarthritis. The treatment can reduce other musculoskeletal pain, as well. It may even help with migraines and headaches. There are also many other uses of acupuncture far beyond pain relief.

Cold Laser Therapy Cold Laser Therapy works by delivering light energy into specific areas of the body where it stimulates tissue and reduces pain and inflammation. Cold Laser Therapy is performed using a handheld device that is gently pressed against the treatment area. As it is applied to each area, light energy restores cell energy in the tissue of muscles and joints, reducing inflammation. As a result, pain symptoms subside.

Cold Laser Therapy (LLLT) or Photo Biomodulation (PBM) as it is also called, is effective for a variety of pain issues. Like acupuncture it's indicated for all forms of pain, such as neck and back pain, shoulder and knee pain, pain related to sports injuries, sciatica, arthritis and pain from illness. LLLT targets the affected area on a cellular level where it aids in reducing pain and swelling from acute injuries like strains and sprains as well as chronic conditions like disc issues.

According to an extensive investigation by the National Institute of Health, NIH, "Low level laser with low-energy density range appears to exert a biostimulatory effect on bone tissue, enhance osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation on cell lines" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4281990/

Wt this means is that because LLLT stimulates the cell mitochondria for cell regeneration it actually regrows bone tissue. This applies to other types of tissue as well. Benefits of Both Both treatments work without the use of medications, so you won’t have to rely on pills that could potentially cause problems from as little as painful heartburn to as serious as life threatening addiction to opioids.

Both treatments are also nonsurgical, meaning you don’t have to worry about stitches, hospital stays, or scars. You therefore won’t have to contend with a lengthy recovery time that limits your ability to function or go to work as usual.

Neither treatment will take you away from your life for a long period. Generally, a laser therapy treatment lasts 5-10 minutes. If you opt for an acupuncture treatment, it takes longer, but generally less than an hour.

And as we mentioned earlier, neither treatment causes side effects.

Want to learn more? Feel free to call or email.

DrSharonLivingston@Gmail.com 201 739 4700.

Sources: Delaware Back Pain and Sports Rehabilitation Center and NIH