Unlocking the Healing Potential: Infrared and Laser Therapy

Therapeutic Uses of Infrared Radiation

Pain alleviation

Pain relief with infrared radiation is frequently successful. The calming action of moderate warmth on superficial sensory nerve endings is most likely the cause of pain alleviation.

Relaxing muscles

Warm tissues allow muscles to relax more easily, and pain alleviation also helps muscles relax. Thus, infrared radiation has benefits for promoting muscle relaxation and relieving spasms brought on by inflammation or damage. Often employed as a prelude to other forms of physiotherapy, infra-red irradiation relieves pain and triggers muscular relaxation. Movements can often be accomplished through a broader range than before irradiation, and the pain reduction allows for more effective exercise performance.

Increased blood supply

It is possible to heal superficial wounds and infections with this effect, which is most noticeable in the superficial tissues. Healing depends on a healthy blood flow, and in the event of an infection, the increased production of white blood cells and increased fluid exudate help to kill the bacteria. Treatment with infrared light is commonly used for post-injury inflammation, arthritic joints, and other inflammatory diseases. Although the reduction of pain and muscular spasm in these situations is clearly beneficial, it is unclear how radiation will affect blood flow through the lesion site. Vasodilatation may occur when superficial structures, such as the tiny joints in the hands and feet, are impacted. This will hasten the elimination of waste materials, boost the amount of oxygen and nutrients that the tissues can absorb, and aid in the reduction of inflammation. However, there's a chance that radiation applied to the skin covering deeply positioned structures will result in vasoconstriction in the deep tissues, which could be beneficial for decongestion.

Dangers of infrared radiation

Burns

It is possible for infrared radiation to burn skin superficially. The skin develops a red patch that blisters either during or after the patch is treated. The most common cause of the burn is excessive radiation intensity. This may happen if the patient is unaware of the purpose of the treatment, comes closer to the lamp, moves away from the heat source, or nods out while receiving it. It could also happen if the patient has poor skin sensation and cannot sense the amount of heat, or if the physiotherapist is not around to turn down the heat as needed. When the temperature of the element rises, a non-luminous generator may overheat if sufficient time is not given for it to warm up before positioning it. Recent liniment use has made the skin more sensitive, which raises the risk of burns. Overheating is more likely when there is reduced blood flow through the affected area, which could be brought on by circulatory problems or pressure. This is because heat is not removed from the area as quickly as it should be. Burns may also arise from handling the hot lamp or from hot glass shards in the event that an incandescent lightbulb breaks. Pillows or blankets can catch fire, particularly if they are haphazardly positioned within a tunnel bath.

Electric shock

Although touching any exposed portion of the circuit can result in electric shock, the main risk is from the live wire coming into contact with the equipment case. Appropriate measures must be taken because many infra-red generators have a substantial metal framework.

Gangrene

Applying infrared radiation to a region with a compromised arterial blood supply carries the same risk of causing gangrene as does short-wave diathermy.

Headache

Infrared radiation therapy may result in headaches, particularly if sweating is absent or the treatment is administered in a heated environment. When the weather is really hot, it is advisable for the patient to have prolonged infrared treatments and to drink enough of fluids to promote perspiration. The back of the head should be shielded from radiation since it can cause headaches.

Passivity

Prolonged exposure to radiation causes a drop in blood pressure, which can lead to cerebral hypoxia and fainting. This is more likely to happen if the patient abruptly gets out of bed following a lengthy therapy.

Harm to the eyes

It is advisable to shield the eyes from radiation because it has been indicated that exposure to infrared rays may increase the risk of cataract development.

Infrared therapy contraindications

A damaged arterial blood supply or a potential bleeding risk should not be exposed to infrared radiation. Applying the therapy to regions that have recently been treated with liniment or where skin feeling is impaired is also a bad idea.

LASER

Laser procedures

The laser is one of the newest forms of treatment that physiotherapists can employ. 'Light amplification stimulated emission radiations' is an acronym for laser. When certain elements' atoms are excited by electromagnetic radiation, they emit their own electromagnetic radiation with a specific wavelength, which is how the laser beam is created. A laser beam's consistent wavelength with minimal wavelength divergence is one of its properties.

Deep Tissue Therapy: Dual Laser Benefits

Treatment units may combine an infra-red laser at 904 nm with a helium-neon laser, which emits a red light beam at 630 nm. Because of this combination, the infrared portion of the beam can enter the tissues quite deeply without significantly heating the skin's outer layers. An infrared laser may be able to penetrate as deeply as 30 mm, which is significantly deeper than the infrared from a regular light. Other devices that are in close proximity to the skin only emit infrared lasers. There are three kinds of lasers. Power lasers are employed in surgical or destructive procedures. Soft lasers are mostly employed for skin treatments because of their extremely superficial effects.

Optimizing Mid-Laser Therapy Techniques

Physiotherapists utilize mid-lasers because they have a deep enough penetration depth to affect deeper tissues biologically without causing harm to them. Although there are many different kinds of mid-lasers, they all work on the same principles. While some units are positioned close to the patient's skin, others are positioned farther away. Certain laser types have adjustable outputs because the devices have a pulsed output, which allows the frequency and pulse width to be adjusted. On certain devices, the application's duration can be customized. The patient should be exposed to the laser beam with a technique that ensures the beam strikes the skin at a right angle, or 0° angle of incidence. Any other angle causes the laser beam to penetrate less deeply. To irradiate a slightly greater area, the beam is slightly deviated as it is released.

Precision Treatment: Hand-Held Laser Therapy

One kind of laser resembles a pen in that it has a hand-held applicator. The therapist places this over the lesion's center on the skin, forming a right angle with the skin, and then directs the beam into the patient. This kind of application can be necessary for multiple points, with each point receiving up to five minutes of treatment. The therapist must make touch with a finger-sensitive switch located near the end of the treatment head as a safety precaution mandated by the device. Since the infrared laser beam is invisible to the human eye, the machine is equipped with an infrared sensor to verify the output. This enables local, immediate on/off control and eliminates the need to move the treatment head in space when the unit is producing infrared.

Advanced Low-Power Laser Therapy Innovations

The applicator is held at a right angle to the patient's skin, and the depth of penetration in fecund areas can be altered by pressing the applicator into the tissues. With a set power output and a frequency range of 550–700 Hz, an infrared pulse width of 150 ns, and a peak power of 5 W, the treatment parameters are pulsed with an average intensity of roughly 0.3 mW throughout the whole treatment. Because of the extremely low power, there is no thermal effect, the patient won't feel anything, and there is very little chance that their tissues will be damaged. Because of the unit's portability, it is quite popular. With the laser emitter positioned roughly 30 centimeters away from the patient, the other units are installed on movable supports. The helium-neon (light) laser partially defocused to cover a roughly 10-cm-diameter area. The treatment area is then significantly increased by pointing a battery of five infrared lasers into the circle that has been drawn. A different kind of mid-laser emits two side-to-side scanning infrared beams in addition to a visible beam. Although there hasn't been enough research done to evaluate these various units yet, this should soon change as they become more often used.

Consequence of mid-laser

The following outcomes are stated for laser treatments:

• a decrease in pain;
• a faster rate of repair.

Because of these benefits, lasers of this kind may prove to be useful in the management of excruciating soft tissue injuries. To identify the area that needs to be treated with a laser, precise evaluation and diagnosis are crucial.

General guidelines for use

Due to the high electromagnetic energy that the laser beam can focus on the retina through the lens of the eye, great care is necessary to prevent damage to the patient's and therapist's eyes. It is necessary to take certain safety measures, such as having the patient and therapist wear safety glasses, working in a well-lit space, and avoiding materials that reflect light, such as polished floors, mirrors, chrome plating, etc. The hand-held device has a small issue with the therapist's collection of static electric charge. This is accomplished by having operators wash dissipated after a treatment and wear non-insulating footwear.

Restrictions

Some individuals, such as epileptics, are not treated with the laser. Patients with pacemakers and those with cardiac conditions are not treated in the chest area.

Skin diseases

After being applied to contaminated skin during therapy in touch, the treatment head needs to be sanitized using an appropriate solution. This has been a quick summary of a somewhat novel treatment approach that physiotherapists can use. As of right now, there is a dearth of independent or comparative studies to assess laser therapy. Currently, the dose applications are limited to those recommended by the device's manufacturers. Research should be done to determine the usefulness of these units and the therapeutic parameters they should be used within, though, as they become more generally available. It is plausible that in the future, laser therapy could play a major role in treating a multitude of musculoskeletal issues that physiotherapists encounter.