Deep Tissue Laser Therapy
What conditions are commonly treated with laser?
Neck pain (can lead to tension headaches…)
Back pain
Shoulder pain (rotator cuff injury…)
Knee pain (meniscus, ACL, LCL, PCL, MCL…)
Hip pain
Elbow pain (tennis elbow…)
Arthritis and joint pain
Foot pain (plantar fasciitis…)
Sports injuries
Soft tissue injuries (sprains, strains, deep bruising…)
Scar tissue
Onychomycosis (toenail fungus)
Chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis
- Gingivitis
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How long until I see results?
The answer greatly depends on several factors. Some people experience relief after only 1 session, and others will experience pain relief after several sessions. Consider the following:
Factors that SPEED UP healing and results:
- Acute Injury
- No other major chronic conditions
- Solid foundations of health (eating a nutritious, anti-inflammatory diet, good stress management...)
- Frequent and consistent treatments - I typically recommend receiving 1-3 treatments weekly to see the fastest results
Factors that SLOW DOWN the healing process:
- Chronic injury (if you've had a condition for 20 years, it won't be "fixed" in 1 session)
- Major conditions that dysregulate inflammation, immune and healing processes
- Poor foundations of health (eating inflammatory foods...)
- Inconsistent or infrequent treatments - these treatments build on one another
How Does a Class IV Laser Work?
Class IV laser or deep tissue laser therapy (DTLT) is also referred to as photobiomodulation (PBM).
The light this laser emits is at the wavelengths of 810 and 980 nm, within the red light spectrum. The photons of light can pass through layers of skin, fat and connective tissue to penetrate deeper structures. When we are working on chronic injuries or pain, we commonly are targeting muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint capsules, and scarred connective tissue.
Let’s take a look at what is happening at the tissue and cellular level!

- A main target for the laser is to reach mitochondria, the power house of our cells that produce the vast majority of energy. Our cells need energy to synthesize proteins, repair tissue, communicate with other cells, and sometimes to undergo apoptosis. This is vital to cleaning up dead or damaged cells so new ones can be made. Within mitochondria photons can be received by cytochrome C within the electron transport chain and the energy is transferred to electrons that ultimately fuel creation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
PBM stimulates nitric oxide (NO) release which in turn causes vasodilation. This is a critical step to any healing because not only does blood flow increase delivery of nutrients and immune cells to damaged areas, it is also critical in removing waste fluid that can be toxic to cells.
Immune cells play a critical role in cascades of inflammation and communication. Laser has been shown to interact with a variety of immune and signaling cells.
PBM also interacts with reactive oxygen species (ROS) – this is the mechanism behind treating toenail fungus.