Jan. 22, 2014 — With Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, chiropractors face an unprecedented opportunity to focus on geriatric conditions and appropriate care. This generation is expected to live longer and have better quality of life than previous generations, but pharmaceuticals won’t be the answer.
Instead, chiropractors have the unique opportunity to help aging adults
maintain their vigor and active lifestyles. More than ever,
chiropractors will require better tools for addressing chronic pain and
the self-perpetuating cycles of swelling and muscle spasms.
Laser
treatment represent the latest advanced technology for addressing these
issues, with research continuing to show that combining laser therapy
with manual manipulation is most advantageous.
Super pulsed
lasers, in particular, have been effective in eliminating chronic pain
and reducing inflammation. They also improve poor blood flow associated
with degenerative disorders like spinal stenosis.
Laser treatment
is a natural solution to pain relief, and provides a drug-free,
non-invasive and safe approach – with no side effects. Utilizing the
best units on the market, laser treatments can:
• produce significant outcomes by improving range of motion and reducing pain and inflammation
• provide hands-free treatment option – with the addition of unattended treatment armatures
• be delegated to an assistant or therapist (based on scope of practice and state regulations)
• become a significant source of revenue growth
Technology at work
Maximizing
laser light to relieve certain disease symptoms has been the subject of
research, from NASA to European scientists, for many years, yielding
advances and critical improvements in the technology.
When a
laser-light beam is super pulsed, it delivers intense concentration of
photons to cells without damaging thermal effects, which increases its
therapeutic value. In comparison, continuous wave or pulse lasers are
limited in their ability to deliver high power due to the increase in
heat-related tissue damage that accompanies a higher power output. Super
pulsing of the beam breaks through the thermal barrier and is able to
deliver laser power in tens of thousands of milliwatts with no damaging
thermal effects to the tissue.
Super pulsing lasers deliver up to
2,000 times the peak power of continuous wave lasers and up to 1,000
times the peak power of pulse lasers without any related damaging
thermal effects. Increasing peak power maximizes the photon density and
improves depth of penetration – reducing treatment time, and optimizing
clinical results and efficiency.
Identifying optimal laser technology
Ideally,
chiropractors should look for laser technology products that have been
cleared by Health Canada for multiple pain-relief applications. They
should also have the capability to treat a variety of conditions
including neck- and back-related issues, inflammation such as arthritis,
carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, acute and chronic pain, soft tissue
injuries, and improve muscle strength. The sophisticated medical super
pulsed laser should also integrate multiple technologies that work
synergistically to deliver advanced therapeutic effect.
Super
pulsed lasers deliver between 25,000 mW and 50,000 mW of peak laser
power to tissues using advanced semi-conductor laser diodes. The best
lasers on the market integrate advanced laser diodes directly onto
internal computer chips. The laser of choice should also be time-tested
and used worldwide by hospitals, private practices, military and
professional sports and for pain relief and accelerated healing.
Integrating lasers into the practice
By
becoming a laser treatment clinic, chiropractors have an opportunity to
not only retain satisfied patients, but also attract new ones. DCs can
help a broader range of patients, create new revenue and referral
sources, generate positive word-of-mouth marketing and gain a
competitive edge. Consider adding on other laser enhancements including
diagnostic capability, electrical stimulation and magnetic field
enhancement.
To get started, clinicians should look for a laser
equipment provider that offers a two-year warranty or better, safe laser
classification device, treatment protocol training, easy-to-understand
guides about the device and its use for various conditions, as well as
ongoing webinars for education on how to best use the laser. The laser
company should also be available at any time to answer clinical and
technical questions.
Chiropractors should also have access
patient education materials such as videos, brochures, illustrated
posters, ad templates and learn how to market their practice to the
community. Speaking at local community groups about laser treatment’s
proven outcomes can yield exceptional practice-building results.
After choosing a product, ask the supplier for local and/or provincial/state references.
Improving care and profitability
For
many patients, the benefits of laser treatment are often felt after
only three to four treatments. Some patients report immediate pain
relief after the first treatment, although it is the cumulative effect
of a series of treatments that produce the best outcomes.
Laser
treatments are non-invasive and painless. Most people do not feel
anything, while some have reported a slight tingling or warming
sensation over the treated area. The best lasers on the market use three
clinically proven wavelengths of light for optimal tissue saturation.
They also use a sophisticated software algorithm to synergize three
multiple wavelengths, creating a cascading effect where energy is
absorbed from superficial tissue down to four to five inches below the
skin’s surface.
Typically, the laser emitter is placed directly
on the skin over the area being treated. Depending on the treatment area
size, the user may keep the laser held in one spot, or move the emitter
around to treat a wider area.
Keep in mind that pregnant women and
patients with a history of cancer should refrain from laser treatments,
and individuals with pacemakers should not have laser treatment near the
heart.
Super pulsed lasers are drawing praise from the
chiropractic community, with a growing number of them expressing
appreciation for enthusiastic patient response, rapid symptom
elimination and advanced functional ability, ease of use, and as an
exceptional adjunct to a chiropractor’s practice.
Chiropractors
do double duty as clinical professionals and small business owners.
Therefore, every tool must be both effective and economical. Offering
laser therapy adds value, improves patients’ outcomes and helps the
bottom line.
———
Frank Martin is a chiropractor based
in Moncton, N.B. and runs the Elmwood Chiropractic Clinic. Max Kanarsky
is the president and CEO of Multi Radiance Medical, developer and
manufacturer of super pulsed laser devices.
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