At Anderson Podiatry Center, we like to bring you cutting edge technology. We feel it will allow us to deliver the best results for your foot and ankle care – and laser treatment is one of these technologies. We use the MLS laser system which brings the latest advancements in laser technology for your treatments. Laser is a treatment that is offered if conventional treatments are not working. This blog will introduce you to the laser treatment for foot pain option for foot and ankle issues.
How Does Laser Treatment for Foot Pain Work?
Our MLS laser therapy uses deeply penetrating light to help repair your body’s tissues. It is a “multi wave lock system”. MLS, that uses specific wavelengths of light. One wavelength penetrates closer to the surface and is continuous. Its primary function is to reduce swelling and inflammation. The second wavelength is pulsed and reaches deeper into the tissues and nerves for pain relief. Compared to earlier generation lasers, these lasers penetrate well below the skin layer (2-3 cm) allowing for more successful results. The laser works by stimulating your body’s own reparative processes. It very specifically helps the mitochondria in each of your body’s cells to do a better job. The mitochondria is an area of each cell that creates energy for the cell, repairs the cell, and eliminates waste from the cell. In this process three things occur:
- Reduced Inflammation: The laser treatment can reduce inflammation and help speed up the reparative processes. This anti-inflammatory effect results with pain relief. This process also reduces swelling.
- Positive effect on Pain Receptors: It also helps to reduce pain because of its effect on pain receptors. While your body’s healing processes are accelerated, the laser also helps to reduce pain.
- More Blood Flow: The laser increases the blood to the targeted area. This aids in the healing processes which accelerates healing.
What is Treatment Like?
During this process, the laser light will be applied to the area being treated. There are a few things you’ll notice throughout the process:
- You may feel a warming sensation, but the treatment is painless and there are no side effects.
- The treatments can last for 15 to 30 minutes depending on how many areas are treated.
- Generally, 6-12 treatments are recommended and are done 2-3 times per week.
- You may begin to feel improvement after the first one or two treatments.
What Conditions Can Lasers Be Used For?
There are various reasons why we use laser for foot pain. Most commonly, we use laser in conjunction with surgery to accelerate healing and reduce swelling. Lasers can reduce scar tissue after surgery on joints to reduce stiffness. It can also accelerate the repair of nerves when we do nerve decompression surgeries to reverse the symptoms of neuropathy and restless legs. It is also used in conjunction with other treatment modalities for common foot and ankle conditions such as:
- Heel Pain (plantar fasciitis): This is one of the most common foot complaints.
- Neuroma Pain: This pain is in the ball of the foot which causes compression of a nerve branch in the ball of the foot.
- Achilles tendonitis and other types of tendonitis.
- Joint Pain: Laser has also been used to reduce the symptoms of arthritis in foot and ankle joints.
- Neuropathy: This is a condition that causes burning, tingling and numbness in the foot and ankle.
- Foot and Ankle Ulcers: This can speed up the repair of ulcer common in the diabetic foot.
- Restless Legs: We have also used laser in conjunction with ESTIM electrical stimulation to reverse the symptoms of restless legs.
- Foot and Ankle Injuries: It can speed up recovery from soft tissue injuries such as foot and ankle sprains. It can speed up the repair of damaged tissue.
In general, laser technology has allowed us to offer more options and to optimize the results we can offer our patients. If you’re frustrated with your foot and ankle issues, it’s something you may want to consider laser as a treatment option.
Testimonial from our patient who received laser treatment for foot pain!
Cutting Edge MLS Laser – Doctor/Patient Feedback
