- What kind of laser technology is used by your office?
- Is Class IV laser therapy treatment painful?
- Do I need to remove my clothing to receive Class IV laser therapy?
- How many Class IV laser therapy sessions will I need?
- How much does Class IV laser cost? Does insurance cover it?
- Is Class IV laser therapy the same thing as cold laser?
- What’s the difference between Class III and Class IV lasers?
- Are lasers regulated by the FDA?
- What are the most common conditions you treat?
- How do lasers heal?
What kind of laser technology is used by your office?
Our primary technology are Class IV infrared therapy lasers. Class IV lasers gently warm the problem area while delivering infrared laser energy, decreasing pain and inflammation, and often improving healing times.
Is Class IV laser therapy treatment painful?
No, treatment with Class IV laser therapy is not painful. You’ll experience a gentle warming sensation over the treatment area. Occasionally patients experience other mild sensations of healing, like itching and tingling on the surface of the skin.
Do I need to remove my clothing to receive Class IV laser therapy?
No, you don’t need to remove your clothing to receive Class IV laser therapy.
Only the skin over the treatment area needs to be uncovered. In most cases, clothing can be moved or pushed aside from the treatment area. In some cases athletic shorts and sleeveless tops are helpful for reaching the treatment area.
Any treatment directed near sensitive areas will be properly draped to respect privacy.
How many Class IV laser therapy sessions will I need?
The length of your treatment depends on:
- Where you’re problem is located and what caused it
- How long you’ve dealt with your issue
- Lifestyle choices, like diet and exercise contributing to your inflammation
- Most patients require between 6 to 12 treatment sessions
How much does Class IV laser cost? Does insurance cover it?
We offer competitive rates for high powered laser therapy. Total costs depends on your particular health concern and treatment needs.
Insurance may offer reimbursement for Class IV laser therapy in cases of personal and auto injury.
Despite decades of use in Europe, and 13+ years of use in the US, most commercial insurances are not reimbursing for laser therapy at this time.
Is Class IV laser therapy the same thing as cold laser?
Cold laser is a different laser technology than Class IV lasers.
We use Class IV infrared therapeutic lasers. These are sometimes called deep tissue or high powered lasers as opposed to cold laser.
There are benefits to both kinds of laser, but we have chosen Class IV lasers because of the advantages this kind of laser offers.
Cold lasers use less power.
Cold lasers use less power than high powered lasers. Cold lasers are Class III lasers, which are rated at a 1/2 watt of energy and below. Since, they use less energy Class III lasers are called “cold” and sometimes “low level light therapy.”
(Technically only a certain kind of Class III laser is considered a cold laser, but the name is used for nearly all Class III lasers.)
Class IV lasers use 1 watt to up to 60+ watts of energy. However most pain-relieving lasers are set between 1 and 15 watts.
Class IV lasers and have many different uses depending on the laser aperture or tool. For example, dental and minor cosmetic surgery is possible with the lasers used in our offices. The lasers you’ll experience are fitted with a therapeutic head, and not a surgical head.
The power is used to penetrate the tissue to help deliver infrared laser to encourage pain relief and healing.
Most patients are not concerned with the difference between laser types. In fact, most aren’t aware there are differences in laser technology and most are still happy with their treatment.
What’s the difference between Class III and Class IV lasers?
This is a technical question that doesn’t interest all patients. However, every once and someone wants to know the overall differences between Class III and Class IV lasers.
Here are the major differences:
- Class III lasers use 1/2 of watt of power, and Class IV lasers use 1 watt of power or more
- Class III cannot heat the tissues, and Class IV users provide tissue heating
- Class III can be touched directly to the skin, and the laser diode can be left without moving, and Class IV do not touch the skin and the diode must be kept moving by the provider to avoid overheating the treatment area if the wattage or power setting is set above 1 to 2 watts
- Class III delivers several hundred joules of energy per square inch of treatment area per minute, and Class IV lasers deliver several thousands of joules of energy per square inch
- Class III lasers are said to heal by the use of a the laser wavelength, and Class IV lasers are said to heal by the use of the laser wavelength and joules of energy delivered to the treatment area
- Class III and Class IV lasers have different wavelengths, and some include the infrared spectrum
- Class III and Class IV lasers have different diode shapes which the providers select based on their needs
- Class III and Class IV laser deliver light energy with different wavelengths and different firing rates, or frequencies, which are selected by the provider
Are lasers regulated by the FDA?
Yes, lasers are regulated by the FDA. The conditions and source of pain found on this website are cleared by FDA for laser treatment. The first lasers cleared for human use were approved in 2002. Class IV lasers began their clearance in 2004.
What are the most common conditions you treat?
We have those conditions listed on our laser conditions page. If you have a question about a condition, you can always use our contact form or call our number to ask any questions.
How do lasers heal?
The short and non-technical answer:
Class IV lasers decrease tissue inflammation and reduce pain. In some ways, it is like getting the best of ice and heat at the same time.
But the technology does more than that.
Lasers can also accelerate a healing response in the body by providing light energy to stressed and damaged cells.
Here is the longer, and more technical answer:
Laser is an acronym. It means “Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.”
Therapeutic lasers delivers a beam of light from the red or infrared light spectrum. Red lasers are visible to the naked eye, but infrared is outside the spectrum of visible light and cannot be seen.
(Infrared light from Class IV lasers require the use of special safety glasses to protect the retina. All our providers use these glasses.)
The red or infrared light is delivered at a single wavelength and is absorbed by the body. Individual cells absorb the red and infrared light and the energy centers of the cells are activated.
Lasers stimulate cells to heal:
- Laser delivers radiation energy in the form of red and infrared, compressed electromagnetic signal, or light
- This red and infrared energy activates photo-active organs within human cells
- These photo-active organs are known as mitochondria.
- Mitochondria are like the engine of the cell, as they produce the fuel of the cell in the form of a chemical called ATP
- The mitochondria have certain enzymes (cytochromes) that will increase their chemical reactions with exposure to laser energy
- Like boosting battery power, laser energy increases the energy level of damaged and stressed cells, reducing healing time frames
There are several known effects from consistent laser treatment:
- Laser increases blood flow to the treatment area, and can even produce development of new blood vessels
- Laser increases production of collagen in the treatment area, which makes tissue in the treatment area healthier and more elastic while tending to reduce scar tissue
- Laser increases cartilage health
- Laser helps muscle cells regenerate and become stronger
- Laser accelerates and reduces the inflammation process by bringing certain inflammatory cells to the treatment area (macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes)
- Laser accelerates nerve regeneration (myelin formation)
- Laser increases the activity of the cells that regenerate bone (osteocytes)