A High-Tech Solution for Pain and Inflammation
At Advanced Foot & Ankle, we’re always looking for state-of-the-art, evidence-based therapies and technologies to help our patients overcome their pain and regain their active lifestyles. That’s why we’re proud to offer MLS Laser Therapy.
We’re using this innovative and ground-breaking technology in our office every day to fight conditions like plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, inflammatory arthritis, ankle sprains, neuropathy, chronic sports injuries, and a whole lot more. When other conservative treatments haven’t worked, the MLS laser is an effective alternative with a solid track record of bring rapid relief, free from negative side effects, medications, or surgeries.
A Brief History of Laser Therapy
For many years, medical science has understood the healing potential of therapeutic lasers. At specific wavelengths, powers, and pulse rates, the light energy from the laser beam can stimulate the cells of the body to produce positive effects—reducing inflammation and edema, increasing blood flow, speeding up tissue repair, and eliminating pain.
However, there was a trade-off. Lower-powered lasers were safe but less effective. It took more time and sessions to produce the desired results, and sometimes didn’t work at all. Higher-powered lasers were good at stimulating the injured cells, but could cause collateral damage to healthy neighboring tissues. Ensuring patients received the proper dose could be extremely difficult.
Enter the MLS Laser
The MLS Laser (MLS stands for “Multiwave Locked System”) combines and improves on these previous technologies, offering the advantages of both while posing virtually no risk of damage or side effects for healthy tissues.
The device uses a pair of lasers:
- A low-power continuous 808nm laser-optimized to fight inflammation and edema
- A high-power pulsed 905nm laser-optimized to provide an analgesic effect to reduce pain
Because of the way these laser emissions are automatically synchronized and computer-controlled, they are able to reinforce one another, producing a more powerful therapeutic effect than could be achieved using each beam separately. This process also greatly improves dosage control and increases the safety of the procedure, without the high risk of thermal damage present in older high-power lasers.
The laser can penetrate tissues 4-5 cm beneath the surface of the skin in most cases, providing healing to deep injuries. Clinical benefits include:
- Pain relief
- Anti-inflammation
- Faster tissue repair and cell growth after injury
- Improved circulation
- Improved cellular metabolism
- Improved nerve function
- Improved immune system function
The Appointment and Treatment Process
MLS Laser therapy sessions are quick, simple, and painless. You shouldn’t notice any discomfort or side effects, and you can walk right out the door when the session is over—no downtime. No medications or surgical interventions are required. A typical session lasts less than 15 minutes.
The number of sessions required varies depending on both the individual and the injury. Typically, significant pain relief for most acute symptoms occurs rapidly, often after just one or two sessions. Longer treatment courses with more sessions may be required for some chronic conditions. The effects of therapy are cumulative (rather than temporary) and are spaced out over a period of a few weeks—two or three times per week—to achieve the best results.
