What is Laser Therapy?
Laser therapy is a safe, non-invasive treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to help your body heal naturally. When that light enters injured tissue, it gives your cells an energy boost (like charging a low battery) so they can increase blood flow, reduce inflammation, and repair damage more efficiently. This light-driven process, called photobiomodulation, also helps calm pain signals without medication or downtime. In short: light goes in, cells wake up, pain eases, and healing kicks into gear.
Want to learn more? Continue scrolling to see frequently asked questions and some helpful scientific studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out directly!
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Laser therapy treatments must be administered directly to the skin, as laser light cannot penetrate through layers of clothing. You will feel a soothing warmth as the therapy is administered. Many patients receiving treatments report enjoying the experience, especially when a massage-ball treatment head is used to deliver what is often referred to as a “laser massage.”
Patients receiving treatments with higher-power lasers also frequently report a rapid decrease in pain. For someone suffering from chronic pain, this effect can be particularly pronounced.
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Class IV laser therapy (photobiomodulation) devices were cleared in 2004 by the FDA for the safe and efficacious reduction of pain and increasing micro-circulation. Therapy lasers are safe and effective treatment options to reduce musculoskeletal pain due to injury. The biggest risk to injury during laser therapy treatments is to the eye, which is why certified, protective eyewear is always required during treatments.
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If you are being treated on an easily accessible body part, wear loose-fitting clothing that can easily expose the area that will receive treatment. If you are receiving laser therapy on your back, shoulder, hips, etc. a gown will be provided.
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Each laser appointment is scheduled for 30 minutes. During that session, you will receive 10-30 minutes of laser therapy, depending on which areas of the body we are treating. If you are having two body parts worked on, such as both knees, both elbows, etc., these can be treated in the same session. (You will see the option to choose TWO body parts in the booking section.)
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Some people feel a reduction in pain right after the first treatment, but noticeable lasting pain relief usually begins around session five or six. Eight to ten sessions are recommended for long-term tissue healing.
The more mitochondria the cells have, the more effective and quickly the laser therapy begins to help. Tendons and ligaments have fewer mitochondria than muscle tissue and, therefore, can take longer to heal.
It’s always important to note that these are just estimates. Depending on many factors, (ie. the age of the injury, the overall health of the cells in your body, your diet, etc.) these can affect the time needed to feel results.
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When you’re first starting laser therapy, we typically recommend three sessions in the first week to kick-start your body’s healing response. After that, twice a week helps build on that progress and keeps the healing momentum going. For new injuries, chronic pain, or post-surgery recovery, this schedule usually continues for a few weeks before tapering to once weekly as things improve. For maintenance, once a week works well for as long as it continues to reduce pain, calm inflammation, and keep your body feeling its best.
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Unfortunately, not at this time. You may use your HSA card when booking. It’s up to your HSA administrator if they will allow this to be covered.
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Yes! Please see the booking page.
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Cold lasers are any laser that does not burn tissue. Class 4 lasers, LLLT and HILT are all cold lasers. Hot lasers can cauterize tissue during surgery, burn off moles, or cosmetic lasers that remove the surface layer of your skin. A laser that can burn tissue is classified as a Hot Laser.
Class 4 Lasers (High Intensity Laser Therapy) are cold lasers that can penetrate light into the tissue at the deepest level with burning tissue. There are no Class 5 Lasers. Class 4 Lasers are generally between 15-40 Watts in power and have a wavelength between 810-980 nanometers. This has been proven to be the wavelength that triggers the body to accelerate healing the most effectively. These are HILT lasers which means High-Intensity-Laser-Therpy.
LLLT stands for Low-Level Light Therapy. This refers to lasers that have a maximum light output of 632 to 904 nm. These lasers are effective for many issues but not as effective as High Intensity Laser Therapy.
Photobiomodulation happens in the body when the cells receive light from a laser. Photo = light, Bio = body, Modulation = modifying.
Deep Tissue Laser Therapy describes all of the above terms in one phrase and is easy to remember and the most descriptive. At Ignite Laser Therapy, we use a Class 4 HILT Laser.
Scientific Studies