Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Low Intensity Laser Therapy


      Although low intensity laser therapy (LILT) isn’t familiar to most recreational athletes, it is well known by elite and professional athletes including this year’s U.S. Olympic Team and The Toronto Blue Jays.  Clinically proven, LILT uses red light and infrared light to accelerate soft tissue healing.  LILT penetrates to the cellular level increasing the rate of cell activity including the cycle of inflammation.  The tissue heals faster because the cycle of inflammation is shortened.  As a result pain is eliminated, healing is faster, the need for drugs can be reduced or eliminated, and the body can return to its proper range of motion and alignment for an improved quality of life. 

        If the word laser scares you it shouldn’t, the FDA states “there is no evidence that low level laser therapy has any contraindications”. 
LILT can therefore be used for a wide variety of soft tissue problems including sprains, carpel tunnel syndrome, open wounds and muscle tears.  Chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis and disc inflammation will also respond well to this type of therapy.
It’s hard to believe that a treatment that is easy to administer, requires very little time (on average 15 minutes a few times a week), is non invasive, causes no discomfort for the user, has no side effects, and a positive track record is so hard to find.  For the average Canadian LILT can only be obtained through a private clinic. 

         At Healthy Habits we are licensed to offer LILT to our clients as part of our mandate, to help people permanently thrive through posture and alignment as the root of lasting physical improvement.  With the accelerated healing that LILT provides our clients can avoid secondary issues that arise after the initial injury from compensatory movements that misalign posture.  We regularly incorporate laser therapy into our training or massage sessions. 
Help us spread the word about laser therapy, we’d love to hear from you if you have a story to share about your experiences with LILT.

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