#laser therapy

[indigo-a-creeping]

A couple years ago I had foot pain in the right foot so bad that I couldn't walk without limping. Tough when I have a job when I'm always on my feet! So I went to see a podiatrist. X-rays revealed plantar heel spurs in addition to plantar fasciitis. I'd been wearing inserts for years, but it wasn't enough anymore. I mentioned surgery, but she said it wouldn't work well. She put me on a massive dose of ibuprofen, which didn't help much. She had me soak in liniment and epsom salt water daily, which made my skin soft but didn't help the pain. I went to a few months of physical therapy which didn't help. I wore a night splint for a few weeks, which didn't do a lot. Finally she gave me a steroid shot in the sole of the foot, twice over the course of a few weeks. I was healed! No more pain.

Now my left foot has been getting more painful, so I went to a different podiatrist (after having moved). X-rays, and a steroid shot. It didn't help. When I went back, he suggested starting the night splint on that foot (actually he asked if I'd been using it already, which we hadn't discussed), so I'm doing that now. Then we discussed a very expensive laser treatment that would absolutely fix me, but insurance wouldn't cover it and it's hundreds of dollars. The pain is not that bad, so I said no. I did immediately research and order a cheap laser therapy wrap online. I've only used it once so far, but I can already feel improvement. I have another appointment in July in case I need another steroid shot, but I'm cautiously hopeful that this will work. I'm also trying it on my top surgery scars, because that's been slow to heal and I've done about all I can with dermatologists (the surgeon offered to help, but that's a plane trip and time off I can't afford).

When I was a vet tech we often provided a laser treatment after surgery or dental procedures to speed up healing. I was a little skeptical about its effectiveness, but there's definitely data to support it and I'm absolutely a believer now! The little wrap I got can be used on animals as well - I can imagine it would have been easy to use on Peri. The cats... probably not, but still, a good thing to keep in mind!

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Just like I suspected, muscle injuries in her left back leg & right shoulder plus it inflamed her spondylosis. She’s getting an NSAID for five days and laser therapy twice a week for a month. Our pet insurance will cover 90% of it and I can do walk-in appointments whenever it’s convenient for me.

Twice a week massage and treats from her favorite vet staff. She literally couldn’t be happier 😂

[mysecondpuberty]

What does electrolysis feel like?

Have you ever gotten a tattoo? It's kind of like that, but not as steady of a pace, and much slower.

My first full session was for an hour long treatment. I wish that I had brought headphones to be able to play some music or a podcast, the office had no music or ambient noise, and my technician although extremely professional, was not particularly conversational.

As for the actual procedure, you know how when a hair stylist shampoos you, and you're never sure whether you should keep your eyes open and stare at the ceiling or at your stylist or if you should just keep your eyes closed? It was that kind of vibe. I kept my eyes closed for the majority of the session, making occasional small talk with the technician while the machine beepbeepbeeped, follicles were zapzapzapped, and the hairs were pluckpluckplucked. Did it hurt? Sure, a bit, but beauty is pain and I have a pretty decent pain tolerance.

The technician did let me know that some patients prefer to use a numbing gel, like lidocaine before a session to help with pain, and that some people find it particularly painful and hard to sit still. I'm very comfortable being tattooed, and sat like a champ! My technician agreed. 😊

She provided a refrigerated aloe gel to help with aftercare, and reminded me not to shave, shower or apply makeup to the affected area for at least 24 hours, and we scheduled our next appointment.

The aftermath:

It looks like razor bumps, kind of red and raw looking, tender to the touch. It looked better the next day, and even better the day after that.

[rolling-away-from-the-sunset]

If you want to have your kid go through laser treatments, make sure they're knocked out. Do not do it except while under anesthesia. If they can't use anesthesia, don't do the treatment.

[bethayresvet]

Erica & JoJo Doing Laser Therapy After A Dental Procedure

[spoonie-living]

Low-Level Laser Therapy For Chronic Pain

I have heard from different interstitial cystitis sufferers and also other chronic pain sufferers that heat is one thing that can help with chronic pain flares. Low level laser therapy has the potential to not only offer potential relief through heat, but may also offer more benefits for relieving pain and inflammation above the temporary relief through heat.

[Image: top-down view of an infrared lightbulb in the darkness; a sort of abstract and wobbly visual]

Looks like this is a thing that works well for all sorts of pain---and while this post is about using it for interstitial cystitis, it links to a lot of research and provides a lot of useful information for other conditions as well. And, it ends with advice on what sorts of lights to use.

[est-nord]

‘transparent’ laser therapy

[pattylabelleblog]

Quanto vale questo giorno

Quanto varrà nei miei ricordi questo giorno che aspetto da due anni e che nei momenti più bui pensavo di non meritare? Vale come un traguardo tanto desiderato, e deve essere uno stimolo a fare sempre più e meglio, perché se ti ci metti d’impegno, ottieni risultati entusiasmanti... vero Patty? 

Che la forza sia con me, oggi... e che sia con me soprattutto la spada laser!