Laser Therapy

Veterinary Wellness Partners • Feb 17, 2015
Laser Therapy
Veterinary Wellness Partners
Tue, 02/17/2015 - 12:12pm

Laser Therapy in Practice

History of Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is a treatment modality that has been around since the 1960's, but is also a recent trend within veterinary medicine.  The recent surge in the number of veterinary clinics that offer laser therapy is likely due to the amount of data that is now available to show that it is highly effective---in other words, it works!  

Another reason for the the increase is the improvement of laser therapy units, often meaning that units deliver more energy to the tissues.  These "stronger" lasers allow us to more effectively treat your animal more effectively, in less time.  

It is ironic to learn that laser therapy was actually developed because of a study in mice.  Endre Mester noticed that mice that receiving laser treatments were able to grow hair back at a faster rate than those that did not receive laser treatments.  This begin the advent of laser therapy, which is now used to treat a wide range of medical conditions.

What is Laser Therapy?

We can use a lot of fancy terms, but what it boils down to is that lasers are light energy.  The therapy units target the body tissues and deliver this energy to the level of the cells, particularly the "mitochondria."  Mitochondria are basically like the engine of the cell.  They produces ATP, which is energy.  The light energy improves circulation, which means more oxygen to the tissue that is being targeted.  Not only does more oxygen get delivered, but the cells are also more effective at using this increased oxygen.  The increase in circulation also means greater ability to remove "bad stuff" from the area.  "Bad Stuff" includes things like toxins and oxidative free radicals.  These substances cause increased tissue damage, so removing them helps to stop this cycle.  Laser therapy essentially helps the body to heal itself, by promoting the natural processes that we were designed with.  

What Animals can be Treated?

Using our Class IV laser therapy unit, the doctors of Orrville Veterinary Clinic can deliver light energy to deep tissues.  This allows us to perform laser therapy on many types of animals, ranging from small dogs all the way up to large  horses.  Oftentimes, our older pets can benefit the most from therapy.  A conservative estimate is that 20% of animals over age 7 years have some form of arthritis.

What Conditions can be Treated Using Laser Therapy?

Laser therapy is often added into traditional therapies to treat many conditions.  In animals these include:

Osteoarthritis

Back Pain

Nerve Pain

Soft Tissue Inflammation

Post-surgical wounds

Generalized wounds

Skin Infections

Ear Infections

Soft Tissue Injuries

Tendonitis

Dental Disease

For more information about Laser therapy click on the following links to our articles:

By Veterinary Wellness Partners 16 Mar, 2021
Earlier this month, USA Today published in article in which it was stated that the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report about potential problems with one of the more popular flea and tick products, the Seresto collar by Elanco Animal Health. According to the USA Today article, Seresto collars have been associated with the death of close to 1700 animals. In addition, the article claimed that tens of thousand of pets were injured, along with several hundred human injuries.
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 31 Dec, 2020
2020 has one more surprise for pet owners: A FOOD RECALL
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 18 May, 2020
Curbside Care
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 24 Mar, 2020
Species-specific coronaviruses and the diseases they cause
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 23 Mar, 2020
COVID-19 Update
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 19 Mar, 2020
March Bovine Health
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 19 Mar, 2020
COVID 19 UPDATE
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 17 Mar, 2020
Veterinary Wellness Partners
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 17 Mar, 2020
Covid-19 Policy 3/16/2020 Veterinary Wellness Partners Mon, 03/16/2020 - 11:14pm Our offices are continuing to monitor the Coronavirus situation and listening to the leaders of our state and nation. Currently we are taking the following steps; 1) We are wiping down door handles and areas every hour 2) We are offering car side delivery of medications with a call ahead and credit card payment via phone 3) We are limiting the number of clients in each room to one per appointment. If you have multiple family members, they will be asked to remain in your car. We can take your pet in if there is a reason to remain in your car 4) We are requesting that anybody with respiratory signs cancel their appointments. 5) Our staff is washing hands regularly 6) We are abiding by the social distancing rules of no handshakes and trying to keep personal space of 6 feet whenever possible. 7) We recommend that you call to get 60 day supplies of any needed medications 8) We highly recommend using our online store if you order online. As things get more and more limited, we can continue to supply medications via this route. If offices need to limit staff, we will only be able to service online orders through our online store. IN addition, this supports us directly, sticking with the spirit of BUYING LOCAL. 9)  We are limiting our usage of facemasks by reusing disposable face masks as often as we can.  We are also ordering fabric, washable, reusable masks to replace the disposable ones. Please call our office and ask if you have any questions or concerns.
By Veterinary Wellness Partners 16 Mar, 2020
CORONAVIRUS vs COVID 19
More Posts
Share by: