Laser Therapy For Sports Injuries

Laser therapy can be very effective for nearly all types of sporting injuries. Low level laser therapy (LLLT) works best if conditions are treated in their acute stage rather than when they become chronic conditions.

Benefits for Athletes

LLLT is effective at treating sports injuries because it provides multiple benefits:

• Pain relief
• Decreased inflammation
• Promotion of tissue repair

It is particularly useful for injuries sustained in dancing and gymnastics or other sports where we don't have the ability to put padding or orthotics into footwear to offload painful tissue.

Research Evidence

There are emerging well designed studies showing good evidence for the use of low level laser therapy in sports injuries:

• The American Journal of Sports Medicine published research on LLLT combined with specific exercises for Achilles tendinopathy in recreational athletes. The laser therapy group improved much more quickly, achieving at 4 weeks what took the exercise-only group 12 weeks to achieve.
• The Journal of Clinical Laser Med Surgery found that LLLT in combination with the RICE protocol significantly reduced oedema (swelling) associated with ankle sprains in soccer players after a 3-day treatment period.

Why Choose LLLT?

LLLT is considered to be one of the safest forms of electrotherapy and has more published research evidence supporting it than any other electrotherapy. It is:

• Evidence based
• Safe with virtually no side effects
• Can be used on a daily basis if required

If you are suffering from sporting musculo-skeletal sports injury then low level laser therapy may be an effective treatment option for you.