A Beginner's Guide to Cold Laser Therapy

An estimated one in five Americans struggles with chronic pain, as they battle their muscles, bones, and joints day-in and day-out. When medications, surgery, or conservative treatments haven’t worked, you may be wondering what else you can do. 

At White Integrated Health Clinics, our providers — Dale White Jr., DC, Kevin Sykes, DC, and Jerry Lyon, APRN — offer a unique treatment called cold-laser therapy. This treatment zaps pain at the source, stimulating your body’s natural healing process. In this guide, you’ll learn what cold laser therapy is, how it works, how to find out if you’re a good candidate, and what to expect during treatment.

Cold laser therapy: What exactly is it? 

Cold laser therapy is a low-intensity, laser-based treatment that stimulates healing throughout your body. It’s called “cold” laser therapy because the energy frequencies aren’t high enough to heat your body tissues, so they remain “cold” compared to other high-intensity laser therapies that heat up your body tissues. 

You may have also heard cold laser therapy referred to as “low-level light therapy,” “low-power laser therapy” or something else along those lines. 

During cold laser therapy, your provider applies different wavelengths of low-level light to your treatment site. Your body absorbs the light and your immune system, stimulated by the red and near-infrared light, begins a healing process that involves regenerating damaged cells. 

What can cold laser therapy help with?

Many health care providers use cold laser therapy in different ways. At White Integrated Health Clinics, the expert providers focus on pain relief, including connective tissue pain (like ligaments and tendons), muscle pain, joint pain, nerve pain, and postsurgical pain. 

Some examples of what we use cold laser therapy to treat at White Integrated Health Clinics include: 

• Joint pain from arthritis
• Muscle strains and joint sprains
• Muscle spasms
• Neuropathic pain 
• Lower back pain
• Neck pain and stiffness
• Sports injuries 
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Tennis elbow and runner’s knee

If you don’t see your condition on that list, don’t worry, because it’s not an exhaustive list. Just ask Dr. White, Dr. Sykes, or nurse Lyon about your condition, and they can explain how effective cold laser therapy would be for you. 

Am I a good candidate for cold laser therapy? 

Speaking of whether cold laser therapy is right for you, you should find out if you’re a good candidate for the therapy before seeking treatment. Most people can safely undergo cold laser therapy because it’s gentle and noninvasive. You may be a good candidate for cold laser therapy if: 

• You have nagging muscle or joint pain
• You have a prior injury site that still bothers you
• You still experience pain and discomfort after a surgery
• You’re generally in good health 

At your consultation, your provider helps you determine whether cold laser therapy is right for you.

What to expect during cold laser therapy

A cold laser therapy session ends before you know it: These treatments are quick, easy, and painless. During a cold laser therapy session, you sit or lie down comfortably. Your provider marks the treatment sites and then delivers a controlled dose of low-level light directly to your body. You feel the laser on your skin, but you won’t feel much else. 

To learn more about cold laser therapy, visit our cold laser therapy FAQ page. To schedule an appointment to find out if cold laser therapy is right for you, contact us. Call our office in Fort Worth, Texas, at 817-349-7541 or request an appointment online.