What is Tendonitis?
Tendonitis occurs when the flexible bands of tissue that connect the bones to the muscles become inflamed and painful. This is sometimes referred to as “tennis elbow” or “golfer’s elbow”, but it can happen throughout the body. Current treatments for tendonitis often revolve around stretching and conditioning, heavy use of anti-inflammatories, massage, and heat or ice packs. While these treatments can be effective, they often take a long time to work and excessive use of NSAIDs can lead to much more severe problems. Luckily, there’s good news!
Recently, high intensity laser therapy (HILT) has come to the foreground of techniques to treat tendonitis along with a host of other diagnoses. This technique has proven to be fast, reliable and safe. New research has added weight to the claims of laser therapy.
But how does it work?
We’re glad you asked. Laser therapy works by emitting light (laser) deep into the tissue. Studies have shown that it is able to penetrate further than ultrasound waves. The result of this is an improvement of tissue repair. It also increases the speed at which your lymphatic system drains from the injured areas. Research is showing that it also increases recruitment of cells to an injured area which speeds up your body’s natural healing process.
Yes, but DOES it work?
Another great question! Clinical studies have shown that patients treated with laser showed much greater decreases in pain. They also had better outcomes with joint mobility, functionality, and muscle strength.
If you think you might benefit from laser therapy or you would like to learn more about it, contact us at: