I recently sustained two injuries and unintentionally managed them entirely differently and have been amazed at the results.
The first was my index finger in the car door. I stopped the jamming in time to not crush the finger, but enough damage to bruise the bone and give a bit of swelling. I ignored it and continued work as normal with my hands. Two weeks later , the joint had recovered very slowly so that the range remained restricted and there was tenderness over the site of the injury.
The second was my ankle, which one week after the injury of my finger I caught my ankle on a step in the dark. With buckling of my foot I heard a huge crack and pain and knew that this was more than a simple strain, so I took a bit more care. The foot was immediately elevated and ankle compressed. I got home taped it into position, and remained elevated and resting. I self-assessed and ruled out fracture and complete ligament rupture. I followed some standard physio things : a colleague locked the ankle with sports tape to minimise stretching, reduced weight bearing with a crutch on and off for a few days to protect the ankle, but also allow me to load the foot gently and stop my back from twisting. I also used my laser daily to promote healing. I will say I am amazed at the rapid reduction of swelling , bruising and pain, and return to normal walking. The healing is still on going and there is an ache there to remind me to take care, and continue to strengthen the ankle and leg.
I then lasered the finger and the joint range increased back to normal and bone pain reduced.
When I talk about laser I am referring to cold low level light therapy (LLLT). We have been working with LLLT for 6 years at Neurospace and are pleased that the things that we have found are being supported with research. All laser is not the same and the important part is the power and dosage are appropriate for the site of the body. We use laser as part of the management . Additional things to promote best function of the body part were equally important such as exercise and joint alignment.
LLLT has become a big part of Neurospace because it is such a diverse tool. The laser provides energy and stimulation delivered from LEDs at a specific wave frequency, to an area where the laser is applied. The energy gives a boost to the cells and aids them with their natural healing process. LLLT can assist with many things including:
- Arthritis pain
- Tennis elbow
- Muscle pain
- Wound healing
- Inflammation
For me LLLT helped with 2 different problems, it aided the healing of a compression injury in my finger, LLLT also helped with rapid healing of an ankle strain from a misplaced foot.