Class IV Laser Therapy

At Cox Chiropractic Clinic, we use the latest Class IV (high powered) therapeutic laser that’s available on the market. It’s called the K-Laser Cube 4 and is very safe, with no side effects, and the actual treatment is painless. K-Laser treatments will significantly decrease your pain and inflammation, while dramatically accelerating the healing of your injury. The K-Laser Cube 4 that we use in our office is the same model used by the NY Yankees and the Cincinnati Bengals, helping to get their injured athletes back on the field as fast as possible. The K-Laser is also the same laser that many of the Veterinarians use. There is no placebo-effect when a dog limps into their office, gets treated with the K-Laser, and then walks out normally. Whereas many offices use laser therapy as a sole treatment by itself, we almost always use laser therapy in conjunction with our specialized manual therapies, such as Active Release Technique (ART) or Graston Technique.

 Scientific Evidence for Laser Therapy 

 The use of laser in therapy and healing has been in existence for more than 40 years. Research is continuously and quickly progressing in identifying conditions that can be treated and in therapy laser technology. Many published studies refer to laser therapy using the technical term photobiomodulation, or PBM. Other studies refer to the use of laser as Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) or High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT). Some studies are performed with isolated live tissue samples, some use animals, and some are performed on human subjects.

Laser Therapy Research

European Journal Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. 2017 Aug;53(4):603-610.

Effects of low-level laser therapy on pain in patients with musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ron Clijsen, Anina Brunner, Marco Barbero, Peter Clarys, Jan Taeymans

• This meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on pain in adult patients with musculoskeletal disorders. 18 studies allowing for 21 head-to-head comparisons (1462 participants) were included.
• Conclusions: This meta-analysis presents evidence that LLLT is an effective treatment modality to reduce pain in adult patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

The Lancet: VOLUME 374, ISSUE 9705, P1897-1908, DECEMBER 05, 2009

Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the management of neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo or active-treatment controlled trials

Dr Roberta T Chow, Mark I Johnson, PhD, Rodrigo AB Lopes-Martins, PhD, Jan M Bjordal, PT

• 16 randomized controlled trials including a total of 820 patients were evaluated in this study. In acute neck pain, results of two trials showed pain improvement of LLLT (low level laser therapy) versus placebo. Five trials of chronic neck pain reporting categorical data showed pain improvement with LLLT. Patients in 11 trials reporting significant pain intensity reduction. Seven trials provided follow-up data for 1–22 weeks after completion of treatment, with short-term pain relief persisting. Side-effects from LLLT were mild and not different from those of placebo.
• LLLT reduces pain immediately after treatment in acute neck pain and up to 22 weeks after completion of treatment in patients with chronic neck pain.

Life (Basel). 2022 Jan 11;12(1):98.

Photobiomodulation for the Treatment of Primary Headache: Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

Andréa Oliver Gomes ¹, Ana Luiza Cabrera Martimbianco ², Aldo Brugnera Junior ³, Anna Carolina Ratto Tempestini Horliana ⁴, Tamiris da Silva ¹, Elaine Marcílio Santos ², Yara Dadalti Fragoso ², Kristianne Porta Santos Fernandes ⁴, Samir Nammour ⁵, Sandra Kalil Bussadori ^1 4

• A systematic review of randomized clinical trials was performed. We included studies that assessed any photobiomodulation therapy as an adjuvant treatment for primary headache compared to sham treatment, no treatment, or another intervention. Four randomized clinical trials were included.
• Compared to sham treatment, photobiomodulation had a clinically significant effect on pain in individuals with primary headache. 

Lasers in Medical Science volume 26, Article number: 831 (2011)

Diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy: Effect of low-intensity laser therapy

Mohammad Ebrahim Khamseh, Nooshafarin Kazemikho, Rokhsareh Aghili, Bijan Forough, Marjan Lajevardi, Fataneh Hashem Dabaghian, 

Ashrafeddin Goushegir & Mojtaba Malek 

• The authors examined 107 subjects with type 2 diabetes for detection of DSP using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI).
• This study clearly demonstrated a significant positive effect of LILT on improvement of nerve conduction velocity on diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP). This finding supports the therapeutic potential of LILT in DSP.

Laser Therapy Research

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2013 May;19(5):445-52.

Effects of Class IV laser therapy on fibromyalgia impact and function in women with fibromyalgia

Lynn Panton ¹, Emily Simonavice, Kristen Williams, Christopher Mojock, Jeong-Su Kim, J Derek Kingsley, Victor McMillan, Reed Mathis

• This study evaluated the effects of Class IV laser therapy on pain, Fibromyalgia (FM) impact, and physical function in women diagnosed with FM.
• Thirty-eight (38) women with FM were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups, laser heat therapy or sham heat therapy.
• There was significant reduction in pain with the LHT compared to SHT.
• This study provides evidence that LHT may be a beneficial modality for women with FM in order to improve pain and upper body range of motion, ultimately reducing the impact of FM.

Lasers Surg Med. 2013 Jul;45(5):311-7.

The effectiveness of therapeutic class IV (10 W) laser treatment for epicondylitis

Delia B Roberts, Roger J Kruse, Stephen F Stoll

• Background and objective: Photobiomodulation has been shown to modulate cellular protein production and stimulate tendon healing in a dose-dependent manner. Previous studies have used class IIIb lasers with power outputs of less than 0.5 W. Here we evaluate a dual wavelength (980/810 nm) class IV laser with a power output of 10 W for the purpose of determining the efficacy of class IV laser therapy in alleviating the pain and dysfunction associated with chronic epicondylitis.
• These findings suggest that laser therapy using the 10 W class IV instrument is efficacious for the long-term relief of the symptoms associated with chronic epicondylitis. The potential for a rapidly administered, safe and effective treatment warrants further investigation.

Pain Research and Management Journal. 2018 May 10;2018:4230583.

Low-Level Laser Therapy for Temporomandibular (TMJ) Disorders: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Gang-Zhu Xu, Jie Jia, Lin Jin, Jia-Heng Li, Zhan-Yue Wang, Dong-Yuan Cao

• The authors systematically reviewed 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) versus placebo in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD).
• Follow-up analyses showed that LLLT significantly reduced pain at the short-term follow-up and long-term outcomes favored LLLT over placebo.
• This systematic review suggests that LLLT effectively relieves pain and improves functional outcomes in patients with TMD.

European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine. 2020 Dec;56(6):733-740.

A comparative study of the dose-dependent effects of low level and high intensity photobiomodulation (laser) therapy on pain and electrophysiological parameters in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

Kamran Ezzati ¹, E-Liisa Laakso ², Alia Saberi ³, Shahrokh Yousefzadeh Chabok ⁴, Ebrahim Nasiri ⁵, Babak Bakhshayesh Eghbali ⁶

• 98 participants with CTS, aged between 20 to 60 years, were randomly assigned to five groups.
• HILT (High Intensity Laser Therapy) was superior in reduction of pain and improvement of the median motor nerve electrophysiological studies compared to LLLT and exercise-only control groups.