Laser therapy for horses articles

There are excellent articles about Equine Health on the website http://www.thehorse.com/.

Excerpts are provided below.

Laser therapy, which uses an intense beam of light, stimulates the body's processes, activates waste removal, increases repair activity, relieves swelling, heals surface wounds, and stimulates blood and lymphatic systems. It also increases serotonin, thereby achieving a calming response. "Laser is especially useful," says Spalding, "to enhance the repair process in tendon and ligament injuries, superficial joint and bone injuries (including fractures), open and post-surgical wounds and ulcers, old fibrous injuries, bursitis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Laser has also been shown to be effective when used over acupuncture points."

Notes Snyder, "Therapeutic lasers seem to be very good on open wounds that are not healing well; lasers are very good at promoting and stimulating healing."

Lavallée says that physiotherapists mostly work with cold (low-intensity) lasers. "This is ideal for acute cases as it does not increase tissue temperature, increase bleeding, or aggravate the inflammatory phase."

LIGHT THERAPY AT A GLANCE

Light is energy in the form of radiation.

Therapeutic photo energy utilizes wavelengths that are found in the infrared region.

Infrared wavelengths are longer than visible red waves and shorter than microwaves. They are considered therapeutic because they are absorbed by components in tissue and blood cells and stimulate normal cell activity.

The photon is the energy packet of the light wave and the catalyst for increased cell activity.
Laser light is monochromatic, or light of one wavelength.

Laser light is coherent, meaning that the photons, or energy packets, in the light beam move in an organized wave formation.

Laser light is collimated, meaning that the light does not spread into a wider and wider beam as it moves farther away from the source.

Power output has a great influence on the effectiveness of photon therapy. Too little power will create no effect and too much power can cause a disruption in cell function -­ even cell death.
Power is a function of the pulse width (number of nanoseconds the pulse is on) and frequency (number of pulses per second).

Molecules are said to be wavelength specific because they absorb only the energy that matches the energy needed by the electrons they contain.