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Monthly Archives: November 2013
Class IV laser dose concern. An update from Prof. Jan Bjordal. World Association for Laser Therapy (WALT)
The title of last months PMLS editorial was Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and World Association for Laser Therapy (WALT) Dosage Recommendations. Written by the Scientific Secretary Prof. Jan Bjordal. He describes how far we have come and the importance of the WALT dosage recommendations. No abstract is available for editorials so I have prepared one for you below.
Posted in Rants, Special Feature
on Class IV laser dose concern. An update from Prof. Jan Bjordal. World Association for Laser Therapy (WALT)
NICE to see you
The good news is I received an invite from NICE to go see them.
NICE are the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Their guidance helps British health professionals deliver the optimal care based on the best available evidence. It seems they like what we do and want me go show them LLLT. Watch this space. 8-)
Posted in Industry
7 Comments
Class IV laser treatments take longer than 3B lasers
A paper titled ”The Effectiveness of Therapeutic Class IV (10 W) Laser Treatment for Epicondylitis” [ref] showed that 10 Watt Class IV laser (mixed 8W 970nm, 2W 810) was successful in reducing pain and improving function in an RCT with 15 patients, and that there was good statistical significance at 6 months following a course of 6 treatments.
The claim by class IV laser manufacturers is that class IV lasers are better (faster, deeper and more effective) than Class 3b and LED systems. Conversely the 3B laser and LED manufacturers argue that less power density is more effective because delivering energy too quickly can overdose tissues and class IV lasers might burn the skin.
Throughout this paper there are marketing messages claiming the advantages of shorter treatment times than low power LLLT systems and of course the title shouts “10 Watt Class IV laser” just in case the reader is in any doubt that more power is what you need.
Regular readers of this column know my … Continue reading
Protected: Class IV laser misinformation
Posted in Rants
on Protected: Class IV laser misinformation
LLLT Q&A : “how it is possible to have higher power density than the applicator’s total power”
QUESTION FROM KOREA
Dear James
The THOR 810nm 1W laser cluster (5 × 200mW) has a 1/e2 power density of 5.96W/cm2. Just wondering how it is possible to have higher power density than the applicator’s total power
The formula is power/beam area
ILLUSTRATION
When you drive your car at 60 kph that is 60 kilometres per hour you don’t have to drive for one hour and you don’t have to drive for 60 kilometres.
e.g. You can drive at 60kph for one minute* and you will have travelled only 1 kilometre
*(1/60th of an hour)(or to put it another 1 minute = 0.01666 of an hour)
Math: 1 kilometre / 0.01666 hours = 60kph
LASER
Same for laser irradiance (power density)
If the laser was 5 Watts and if the beam area was 1cm2 then you would have 5W /cm2
but 5W/cm2 does not need a 5W laser (same as you don’t need to drive 60 kilometres or drive for one hour)
e.g. a 1W laser with a beam that is 0.2cm2 is also 5W/cm2
Continue reading
Posted in PBM/LLLT
on LLLT Q&A : “how it is possible to have higher power density than the applicator’s total power”
Protected: Class IV laser vs Class 3B laser vs LEDs
Posted in Rants
on Protected: Class IV laser vs Class 3B laser vs LEDs
LLLT for Multiple sclerosis (MS) : Nice work Jeri-Anne, Janis and Chukuka
Original article from http://www.sciencecodex.com/light_as_medicine-121445
Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes progressive paralysis by destroying nerve cells and the spinal cord. It interrupts vision, balance and even thinking.
On a suggestion from a colleague, Jeri-Anne Lyons decided to test how the disease responded to a radical therapy – exposure to a certain wavelength of light called near-infrared (NIR).
Posted in Special Feature
1 Comment