What is laser therapy?
Laser therapy has become an increasingly popular modality in the canine rehab world over the last few years. It is a great tool, however it should be used in conjunction with manual therapy, soft tissue massage, and therapeutic exercise. Oftentimes, clinics will use laser therapy as a stand-alone treatment and not address underlying issues. This can result in prolonged healing times and increased pain for your dog.
The word laser is an acronym that stands for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.” By using specific wavelengths of light, it emits a focused, penetrating light beam down to the cellular level. Some benefits of therapeutic laser include decreased pain and inflammation, improved wound healing, increased blood flow, and muscle relaxation. While these are all positive effects, certain classes of laser produce heat as well.
Who can benefit from the laser?
Dogs present with various conditions, but most conditions can benefit from laser therapy treatment. The most common conditions treated include arthritis, elbow or hip dysplasia, CCL tear, IVDD, incisions from surgery, and tendon or ligaments issues. One of the best things about laser, is that there are minimal to no side effects from treatment. Generally, the only thing that pet parents notice is a positive change in their dog after their canine rehabilitation sessions. Your dog should slowly gain back their personality, mobility, range of motion, have improved weight bearing with less pain and inflammation. Your certified canine rehab therapist is a professional at selecting the appropriate plan of care. This includes the parameters for laser therapy, hands on treatments, stretches, and exercises.
The laser can be a wonderful addition to your dog’s therapy sessions, however it should be included in their comprehensive rehabilitation program. It is comfortable, soothing, and non-invasive for your pup and is generally applied between 5-15 minutes per session. You may start to notice improvement in your dog’s symptoms within the first 1-2 sessions, but the effects of laser are cumulative. Be patient and consistent with your dog’s rehabilitation program and your dog will be happy and healthy.
~Canine PT and Me Team