Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that slowly deforms the joints and causes the joints to lose cartilage. There are many types of treatment for osteoarthritis, but laser treatment is showing promise as a way to help sufferers of this debilitating disease.
Osteoarthritis and Lasers
Osteoarthritis is often found in the hand joints, knees, jaw, hips, spine and ankles. As arthritis progresses, the cartilage (cushion between joints) begins to deteriorate. The bones become closer and closer together; often, the bone rubs together causing swelling, intense pain, decreased motion and stiffness. If the condition worsens, the joints may deform, even changing directions of the range of motion. Laser treatment claims to work due to several factors. It is believed to increase the cartilage's homeostasis process, meaning that the cells with in the cartilage gain internal balance, helping regenerate cartilage. Laser treatment is also believed to help induce increased healing throughout the body. Cartilage scars and lesions caused from arthritis begin to repair, increasing the range of movement of osteoarthritis patients. The laser is a low-level energy laser; less heat is admitted, reducing time needed for healing.
Laser Treatment
Lasers for treating osteoarthritis are approved by the FDA, and there are a number of surveys that point to the laser's effectiveness. According to chiroweb.com (see Reference 1), a study of 57 osteoarthritis sufferers found that all patients had improved after treatment, while 80% of those reported excellent improvement. One test case was a 54-year-old male jogger who reported pain in the lower back. X-rays revealed osteoarthritis in the lower spine joints. After treatment with the laser, he reported improvement after four to six weeks. On a six-month follow-up, the condition disappeared without occurrence.
The Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery reported that laser treatment can decrease the pain and suffering of osteoarthritis significantly. A study published the in the Journal of Rheumatology found that laser treatment of osteoarthritis shows a significant improvement of symptoms.
Side Effects and More Information
Laser treatment, unlike traditional surgical methods, is non-invasive and leaves no scarring. Laser treatments are often preferred over medicinal treatment, as lasers do not have the side effects pain pills often do. Laser treatment takes less then an hour; if the area of treatment is small, the treatment may only take a few minutes. Most patients begin to feel improvement by the third or fourth session. Depending on the severity of the osteoarthritis, treatments may need to be repeated for two weeks up to a month. After initial treatment, an additional laser treatment may be needed every several months to maintain the effects of the laser.
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