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Sports medicine is adopting the use of cold low level laser treatment and light therapies for athletes on a much more regular basis. LLLT is painless, sterile and non-invasive. Sports medicine is utilizing LLLT, which takes photons that can be seen as light, which stimulates blood flow to the injured area, and other healing qualities in order to help athletes get back on their game in less time.(Bjordal J M, Couppé C, and Ljunggren E., 2012) LLLT does not heat or cut the skin of the injured area and they do not damage more tissue in the same ways that surgery can. This allows athletes to heal faster and to return to their sport much sooner, and sometimes while treatment is taking place. Low-levels of light energy from diode lasers are absorbed through skin of the person being treated to increase the cell activity of the tissue around the injured area when an athlete is hurt. (Bjordal J M, Couppé C, and Ljunggren E., 2012) The cellular activity that begins to take place involves several changes that accelerate healing process. A laser will transmit up to nine cm below the skin when utilized in the treatment of a sports injury. The photons from the beam of the laser wavelength used to treat pain and heal wounds hits mitochondria in the skin membranes that absorb the laser light and cause an increase in what is called adenosintriphosphat (ATP) production.(Sunderland, 2011) This chemical helps to heal cells. The more ATP that is released, the healthier the cells become and healing can take place. (Horoshovitz, 2007) Photo-biostimulation also allows cell function that enhances collagen level increases and thus enzyme production and cell growth can occur. For an athlete this means that they can be slowly returning to their activity while they are healing.(Horoshovitz, 2007) It is revolutionary treatment for athletes and it means less surgery and faster return times to athletic activity with less invasive procedures. Just a few of the athletic injuries that are being treated with LLLT now are tendonitis, sprains, back and neck injuries, shin splints stress fractures and other injuries. (Bjordal J M, Couppé C, and Ljunggren E., 2012). Photons are absorbed in much the same way that our skin absorbs Vitamin D and the tissues of the body use the enzymes, blood flow and ATP to repair cells that have been damaged. Collagen is also produced through LLLT and this helps an athlete to heal so they can return to the sports arena. Inflammatory conditions can be treated on athletes now such as bursitis, and all forms of arthritis using LLLT as well as any condition that involves tissue damage.(Bjordal J M, Couppé C, and Ljunggren E., 2012) Fractures, tendon ruptures, cartilage issue and pain in athletes are all able to be treated with LLLT now. As a result. athletes are returning to work faster, with fewer side effects and with more permanent results in terms of their healing than ever before (Bjordal J M, Couppé C, and Ljunggren E., 2012). LLLT is the newest and one of the most effective ways of treating sports injuries and is changing how athletes are dealing with injuries while returning them to their sport in faster time frames. More research will be conducted into the use of lasers, however; they are already doing amazing things for athletes. References Bjordal J M, Couppé C, and Ljunggren E. (2012) Low Level Laser Therapy For Tendinopathy. Evidence Of A Dose-Response Pattern. Thor Medicine. Horoshovitz, J. (2007) Shedding new light on laser surgery. . Jewish Exponent. Sunderland, M. (2011). The "cutting" edge of medical technology. DPN : Design Product Elliott Hayes is a techniology evangelist in the field of lasers and LLLT, or Low Level laser Therapy. LLLT Laser products Elliott promotes the use of lasers and LLLT devices in medicine and Aesthetics and provides research based analysis on the latest products and treatment protocols.
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