Low Level Laser Therapy
One study revealed that applying low level laser therapy within the first 5 days of a shingles eruption significantly reduce the incidence and possibly prevent PHN. Another study confirmed that, This result might be explained by the anti-inflammatory effect, nerve regeneration, and indirect viral deactivation stimulated by LLLT. One month after the eruption, 27.3% of the patients not receiving LLLT continued to suffer from pain and postherpetic neuralgia, while 8.3% of patients with acute shingles receiving laser therapy were diagnosed with PHN.
Low level laser therapy uses red and infrared light to improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and promote ATP production in the mitochondria of cells. They are designed to reduce pain and inflammation as well as enhance tissue healing. It increases oxygenation of tissues and allows inflamed and damaged cells to absorb photons of light, speeding up the healing process. LLLT breaks the cycle of chronic inflammation by increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines for effective relief. Whether chronic or acute, laser therapy is a pain-free and non-invasive treatment for herpes zoster nerve pain with no side effects.
Shingles Treatment: Cold Laser Therapy
Shingles is a common, yet painful, condition. Shingles is not life-threatening, though early treatment can help prevent future complications and shorten the duration of the rash.
Monmouth Pain & Rehabilitation offers painless Class IV Cold Laser Therapy for shingles treatment in Shrewsbury NJ, Wall Township NJ, and Forked River NJ. To learn more about this fast acting and effective relief for shingles pain in Monmouth & Ocean Counties, read below. Call 732-345-1377 to schedule your appointment today!
Monmouth Pain & Rehabilitation Shrewsbury
732-345-1377
Physio Explains: Laser Therapy For Post
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Shingles is a painful condition that is the result of a viral infection that affects the nerves. The virus that causes shingles is the same one that causes chickenpox. Contrary to popular belief, anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles. Many clients of our clinic have wondered if laser therapy is a good treatment for shingles or if laser therapy
As a general rule, laser therapy can provide shingles pain relief by promoting healing. Laser therapy penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the light-sensitive cells in our tissue, causing them to produce more energy, which helps heal damaged nerve cells.
Do you suffer from post-herpetic neuralgia ? Or have a suspension that you may have PHN? The good news is that laser therapy or low-level light therapy has proved itself an excellent therapeutic modality for the relief of pain in post-herpetic neuralgia patients, which may replace pain management medicines in the future.
Shingles is most common in people over 60 years old, but it can occur at any age. Symptoms of shingles include a rash and pain along the path of the nerve where the virus has invaded. In some cases, post-herpetic neuralgia may develop after the shingles rash disappears.
PHN is a condition characterized by long-term pain in the area where the shingles rash occurred. Up to 50% of people who get shingles will develop PHN.
Recommended Reading: What Can You Put On Shingles For Itching
What Is Low Level Laser Therapy
Cold laser therapy, otherwise know as Low-level laser therapy, uses light and photon energy to stimulate cellular metabolism. Cold laser therapy has been demonstrated effective in the treatment of a variety of painful and inflamed conditions of the soft tissues and joints such as carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, back pain, sport injuries. Cold laser has the unique property of being able to penetrate up to two inches below the skin surface, causing an increase in cellular metabolism with no tissue damage whatsoever.
Instructions For Treating Post
How to apply NEUROLOGY 16:
This is a 50-minute protocol that can be done using the coMra Palm or Delta. Use your device to scan the following areas:
Use this treatment together with UNIVERSAL 3 . Universal treatments from coMra are designed to support your body at a systemic level . UNIVERSAL 3 helps your body to self-heal by stimulating the cells regenerative processes, and improves overall wellbeing.
UNIVERSAL 3 is a 10-minute treatment that targets 5 pairs of major arteries at key points on your body:
This should be done once every second day for 20 days.
Follow the NEUROLOGY 16 protocol once daily until you notice an improvement in your symptoms then keep using it for another 7 days.
Let your body rest for 2 weeks, then apply UNIVERSAL 6 . This Universal treatment helps to speed up recuperation from illness, relieve fatigue and boost overall wellness.
If youre concerned about scarring from the shingles rash, you can use UNIVERSAL 6 together with SURGERY 2 to treat scars.
Did You Know? There are numerous coMra treatments that can assist with overall skin health, reduce inflammation and stimulate healing. Read more: Treating Skin Conditions with coMra Therapy
References:
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Pros And Cons Of Cold Laser Therapy
When deciding to have cold last therapy for your injury, your healthcare provider should explain to you the goals of the treatment. Also, they should discuss with you the expected benefits and risks associated with cold laser therapy.
Pros of cold laser therapy include:
- Treatment is not invasive.
- Treatment is typically painless.
- Cold laser therapy may help your injury heal faster.
Risks to cold laser therapy are minimal, but you should understand them. Cons to having the procedure done may include:
- You may need several treatments to realize positive results.
- Treatment may be expensive, especially if your health insurance does not cover the therapy.
- Some research indicates that cold laser treatments are no better than placebo for musculoskeletal injuries.
Having realistic expectations of using cold laser therapy for your injury can help you make an informed decision as to whether to have the treatment or not.
How Does Laser Therapy Work To Reduce Pain And Itching
Laser therapy targets specific areas of the nerve that are causing pain. The light energy penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the light-sensitive or photosensitive cells in our tissue, particularly water molecules and mitochondria. The light activates the mitochondria, causing them to produce more energy, which helps heal damaged nerve cells.
Light or laser therapy also causes an influx of oxygen-rich blood to the damaged area, carrying valuable nutrients needed for cellular repair and recovery. This increase in blood also helps desensitize painful areas by flushing out inflammatory cells, such as cytokines and histamine, that cause pain signals to be received by the brain.
Recommended Reading: Is Herpes The Same As Shingles
Laser Treatment Is More Sophisticated Than You May Imagine
Laser treatment is successfully used not only in treating herpes zoster disease but also in treating many other conditions. Since we have an in-depth knowledge and experience on laser treatment, our experience helps us to handle each patients case with deep care, high professionalism and superb expertise as well as experience. Now we will show some conditions that we treat using laser so that you can feel more confidence in us.
Common conditions we treat with laser sprain / strain injuries, muscle injuries / pulls / spasms, back and neck pain, spinal pain, headaches, TMJ / jaw pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow / lateral epicondylitis, medial elbow / medial epicondylitis, knee pain, patella pain, hip pain, coccyx pain, tail bone pain, trigger points, heel pain, achilles tendinitis pain, and plantar fasciitis.
We also treat many other conditions that fall under neurological conditions, arthritis/joint conditions, neurogenic pain and post-surgical pain categories.
Please be advised that this office will not treat the patients with antiviral. That would have been done by outside physicians. At this office, we only offer free consultancy so that you can discuss your case.
Laser For Shingles Pain
It’s been a little while since I had the time to write another blog post, so I’m happy to be working on this one today! We’re talking laser therapy of course, but specifically laser therapy for shingles pain. And this whole post is coming from a research study titled “Role of low-level laser therapy in post-herpetic neuralgia: a pilot study” and was published in Lasers in Medical Science in January of 2020 so this is a very, very recent study. It’s pretty exciting stuff.
Recommended Reading: What Medicare Plan Covers Shingles Shot
Find A Therapist In Richmond Hill With Goodtherapy
Its normal to experience mental health issues and relationship problems. Talking to a licensedtherapist can help. Therapy can teach you more about yourself and your mental health concerns in ahealing way. Many therapies are evidence-based and have been proven effective.
Since 2007, GoodTherapy has helped people like you connect with ethical, compassionate counselors andtherapists. The therapists listed above, who practice therapy in Richmond Hill, aretrained to protect client confidentiality and privacy. In keeping with our high membershipstandards, these mental health professionals are also committed to eliminating the stigma that keepsmany people from seeking help.
Beliefs about how much therapy costs may deter some people from finding a therapist. Its a good ideato contact therapists youre interested in and ask about insurance, sliding-scale fees, paymentplans, and other options to stay within your budget.
Rest assured there are qualified therapists in Richmond Hill who can treat a variety ofconcerns, including family conflict, relationship issues, anxiety, or depression. With ourdirectory, the right therapist is easy to find.
Postherpetic Neuralgia From Shingles: Low Level Laser Therapy
Keep in mind this is NOT just for PHN it is for most kinds of pain. Not advisable for cancer.
@jerid, Thanks for sharing your experience with the Low Level Laser Therapy . You will notice that I changed the title of your discussion to hopefully bring in more members to benefit from your positive experience using the LLLT device to help with the pain from your chronic postherpetic neuralgia caused by shingles. I also found some information that supports how it has helped you.
The Use of Low Level Laser Therapy For Musculoskeletal Pain: Is Cold Laser Therapy Right for You?:
How often do you use the device to keep the pain in control?
Gosh, thank you for the extra info. Much appreciated. Hope this helps others.
@jerid, Thanks for sharing your experience with the Low Level Laser Therapy . You will notice that I changed the title of your discussion to hopefully bring in more members to benefit from your positive experience using the LLLT device to help with the pain from your chronic postherpetic neuralgia caused by shingles. I also found some information that supports how it has helped you.
How often do you use the device to keep the pain in control?
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What Are The Symptoms Of Shingles
Shingles is a rash that may arise anywhere on the body, though most commonly on the torso, and usually in one small section on the side of the body. Symptoms may start out as pain, burning, numbness, or tingling on the affected area, which later develops into a rash. Symptoms also include sensitivity to touch, blisters, itching, fever, headaches, sensitivity to light, and fatigue.
Shingles arise following a chicken pox outbreak the chicken pox virus may lie dormant for years to reappear as Shingles. It may reactivate as a result of stress, lower immunity, and certain medications.
Many people who suffer from Shingles may also develop a complication called post herpetic neuralgia, a condition that can cause pain for years.
Shingles Is A Viral Infection That Causes A Painful Rash
Medically speaking, it is an acute viral inflammation of the sensory ganglia of the spinal and cranial nerves that is associated with vesicular eruptions and neuralgic pain caused by reactivation of the herpes virus causing varicella also called herpes zoster, zoster.1
Studies show that more than 99 percent of Americans aged 40 and older have had chickenpox, even if they dont remember getting the disease. Most people who get shingles will have it only once. Each year, about 96 shingles-related deaths occur in the United States.2,3
Approximately one out of three people in America will develop shingles during his or her lifetime. That is nearly one million people each year. As people age, their vulnerability of contracting this disease increases, with about half of all shingles cases occurring in people aged 60 or older.4
Given the ubiquity of this malady, alternative methods have been developed to alleviate the painful effects of shingles and some of these are of interest to the chiropractor.
Also Check: Does Shingles Shot Have Side Effects
Understanding Shingles And Post
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.4 If youve had chickenpox at some point in your life, the virus will stay dormant in your body and sometimes it can reactivate, in the form of shingles.4 Doctors arent 100% sure what causes the virus to reactivate, but we do know it can be triggered by shock, stress, low immunity or immune-supressing medications.4
The symptoms of shingles include a painful rash of inflamed skin and fluid-filled blisters, usually erupting in a band on one side of the torso or face.4 Other symptoms may be flu-like, such as fever, chills, fatigue and headache.4,5
Shingles can be treated with medication such as antivirals,5 but the pain may last long after the skin rash has cleared.6Post-herpetic neuralgia is a common complication of shingles.6
Therapy Pulsing Frequencies For Lasers
The core technology of laser therapy is typically based on a defined dosage of light energy applied to the damaged area but over the years more and more manufacturers say that pulsing is key to success. This article analyzes the market so see if there are any trends or agreement on the use of pulsing in laser therapy and we will review some of the most popular pulsing frequencies. Then we wrap up with some recommendations.
The core of photobiomodulation is based on delivering a specific dosage that historically was done using continuous wave laser and CW produces the shorter treatment times. Then the concept of pulsing the laser was developed because it allowed the laser to stay cooler and the treatment is safer because there is less potential for eye damage. As research was done, we have learned that pulsing has other advantages. Some pulsing frequencies stimulate other systems in the body.
Also Check: What Are The Risks Of The Shingles Vaccine
Laser Treatments Can Be Effective For Nerve Pain And Damage
Naturopathic Medicine: Laser Treatments can be Effective for Nerve Pain and Damage
PINS AND NEEDLES BURNING TINGLING STINGING ACHING NUMB WEAK SENSITIVE these are the words that my patients often use to describe the pain they are experiencing that is caused by neuropathy. Neuropathy is the term used to describe nerve pain, inflammation or damage. If you suffer from neuropathy, you know that it can be miserable to deal with acutely or chronically. Patients are often extremely uncomfortable, and aggressive cases of neuropathy can inhibit fine motor skills, walking and even the simplest activities of daily living.
There are many different causes for neuropathy. It is a common side effect of numerous chemotherapy drugs. Other common causes are poorly controlled diabetes, environmental toxins, infections, injuries and the shingles virus. There are different ways to approach the treatment of neuropathy. Specific vitamins and herbs can help support nerve health and regrowth. There are prescription medications and topical creams that can also help with the pain and discomfort caused by neuropathy. It is important to address the underlying cause of neuropathy, as is the case if it is caused by diabetes.
LLL is specifically programmed to treat a range of other medical conditions such as: a wide variety of musculoskeletal pain such as joint, muscle or back pain, acne, bladder incontinence and inflammatory bowel disease.
Laser Therapy Helps Reduce Phn Pain And Offers Clinicians An Effective Adjunct To Conventional Therapies
Merrick R, Kahn F, Saraga F. Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia With Low Level Laser Therapy. Pract Pain Manag. 2013 13.
Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, produces a painful vesicular rash that results from the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus , the virus that originally causes chickenpox. Although the rash typically resolves over the course of 4 to 5 weeks, the pain may persist for months, or even years, after the rash has disappeared. Known as PHN, this phenomenon can often be debilitating to the patient. A number of different treatment options are available to clinicians, including pharmaceuticals, nerve block injections, and physiotherapy, but unfortunately no single therapy is 100% effective at reducing PHN.¹² LLLT is a noninvasive, pain-free, light-based therapy that uses red and infrared light to resolve the inflammatory process and eliminate pain in patients with PHN. We present a number of PHN cases that have responded favorably to LLLT and review the mechanisms of action of the technology.
Recommended Reading: How To Ease Nerve Pain From Shingles
Laser Therapy Is Safe And Effective
Many clinicians have tested and found laser treatment is safe and effective for the management of various aches, pains and structural ailments. It can be used countless times daily too. They have also discovered that this treatment method can also be used as a pain management tool for herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia.
Proper dosages of red and infrared laser light cannot damage your tissue. This therapy is extremely safe if a properly trained laser therapist is delivering the treatment. Doctors had treated post-herpetic neuralgia patients who were unresponsive to conventional care and had experienced pain for at least six months3.
Moore, a researcher, had found that this therapy helped about 61% patient to reduce their pain4. He had found in his studies that the laser therapy success rate was around 78%4. Another study found that about 61% patients were pain free within one year of starting laser treatment5.