Living with pain is hard, frustrating and taxing. Whether you’ve sustained a recent injury, have a long-standing injury that won’t heal properly, are living with chronic pain or suffer from painful diabetic neuropathy, the MLS laser may be able to help.

The MLS laser is a proven, painless and safe way to treat a range of pains while reducing inflammation, promoting wound healing and supporting soft tissue repair. Described as a “breakthrough medical device”, the MLS laser has enabled our podiatrists to achieve superior results for our patients so they can get back to living active lives they love, without pain.

How does the MLS laser work?

In simple terms, your body and its cells are designed to heal and repair effectively and will do this well when they can. When tissues are injured or painful, the cells do not function at their best, and their cellular processes can be interrupted. This can interfere with healing, sustain inflammation, and lead to prolonged pain. The laser interacts with the cells in a wide range of ways (we’ve detailed the technical specifics in the FAQs below) to restore normal, healthy cell function. Once the cells can work as they should, your symptoms disappear, the healing and repair process is kickstarted and accelerated, and your immune response and lymphatic drainage are supported, too.

The MLS is a high-power, deep tissue laser that is entirely painless. It penetrates the tissues over which it is applied deeply without producing any heat or known side effects. It is backed by studies that prove its efficacies for a range of clinical scenarios. At present in 2022, it is the only multiwave locked system fully robotic laser therapy system available on the market. This means that it uses two wavelengths of light (808 nm and 905 nm respectively) together to produce its effects, both in pulsed and continuous emission.

Which conditions can the MLS laser help with?

We are seeing beneficial effects of the laser in a range of conditions that include:

• Sports injuries
  
• Arthritic pain
  
• Neuropathic pain (from nerve injuries, diabetes, inherited conditions and other causes of neuropathy)
  
• Plantar fasciitis heel pain
  
• Achilles tendon pain
  
• Bursitis
  
• Knee injuries
  
• Lower limb edema (swelling)
  
• Joint pain
  
• Musculoskeletal pains
  
• Ankle sprains
  
• Wounds, including difficult-to-heal wounds
  
• Neuromas
  
• Post-surgical recovery
  
• Fractures
  
• Degenerative joint conditions
  

As the MLS laser can assist in the recovery of a wide range of conditions, we recommend consulting with our Brisbane podiatrists to see if the laser may be able to help your specific injury, concern or condition.

What does a MLS laser appointment look like?

Your appointment with our trusted podiatrists will start with an appointment to get to know you, assess your injury or circumstances, perform any required testing, form a clinical diagnosis, and map out the best treatment plan for you. This is a comprehensive one-hour appointment. Your podiatrist will discuss your treatment options and whether the laser is clinically indicated to be able to help you. If it is, and you would like this treatment, we are often able to start your laser treatment immediately, alongside implementing any other aspects of your treatment plan either then or at subsequent appointments.

The treatment process has three potential stages:

1. Scanning: the laser is positioned 20 cm above the skin and is moved over the area surrounding the affected area. This is as the surrounding muscles’ function is often also affected by the injury, and this process allows the blood flow to the area to increase prior to treating the affected area which helps optimise the results.
2. Treatment: the affected area is treated, which may involve keeping the laser still over several points or moving it around, depending on the nature of the injury. This is painless and heat-free.
3. Trigger points: injured muscles can form knots (or the previous formation of knots can contribute to the development of the injury), which can impact efficient healing and repair. These knots can be released when the laser is applied over them at approximately 30 seconds per trigger point.

Depending on your diagnosis and personal circumstances, we may use all of these stages or just the treatment stage. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on what your podiatrist deems is applicable and will help you achieve the best clinical outcomes.

How quickly does the laser work?

This depends entirely on your diagnosis and the severity of your condition or injury, but most people experience positive results within 48-72 hours after 1-3 treatments and the average course of treatment lasts 7-10 sessions. Acute conditions (new injuries) tend to be the fastest to respond. As the effects of MLS laser treatment are cumulative, you can expect to see greater improvement with each session. Sessions may be held 2-3 times per week or weekly, depending on your circumstances.

Benefits of MLS laser therapy

• Gets you back to doing the things you love without pain faster
  
• FDA approved
  
• Safe and effective
  
• Does not use medications, needles or surgery
  
• Analgesic effects reduce pain
  
• Reduces inflammation
  
• Improves circulation and lymphatic drainage
  
• Accelerates healing
  
• Works to improve your cells natural function
  
• Improves comfort from daily actions like walking
  

The evidence behind MLS laser

Aside from the FDA approval, the design of the MLS laser comes from extensive research into the photochemical, photothermal, and photomechanical effects of lasers on biologic tissue including at the molecular level to evaluate therapeutic effects. The results of research are presented at conventions and appear in scientific publications.

At the time of writing, there are currently 198 clinical studies and publications into laser therapy in a variety of settings and for a variety of conditions, including all the conditions we use laser for in our clinic. Please see the extensive library and search for the terms that interest you here.

FAQs

Visit one of our Brisbane Podiatry clinics

If you would like to talk to one of our team, visit us at one of two Brisbane based locations, CBD & Newmarket.

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