The therapeutic effects of Low Level Laser Therapy for modulating pain and inflammation.
LLLT Lower Back
Pain Management
Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) for Pain Management
Light has been a tool in healing in many cultures throughout history. In the United States, LLLT was put aside with the invention of antibiotics. However, light therapy has been making a strong comeback in the last 50 years as chronic disease increases, antibiotics fail, and people demand alternatives to drugs and surgery. The term, “photobiomodulation therapy” (PBMT)¹ marks the formal acceptance of light therapy into modern conventional medicine. However, LLLT is not new. Research on LLLT goes back decades, published by major universities all over the world.
Table 1: Light Spectrum
Name | Wavelength | Health Effects |
Gamma Ray |
< 0.01 nm |
Can cause cancer |
X-ray |
0.01 nm – 10 nm |
Can cause cancer |
Ultraviolet |
10 nm – 380 nm |
Can cause skin cancer |
Visible |
380 nm – 700 nm |
Phototherapeutic effect on biological tissue² |
Infrared |
700 nm – 1 mm |
Human eye cannot detect IR; prolonged exposure is hazardous to eyes |
Microwave |
1 mm – 1 meter |
Absorbed by human tissue; severe thermal damage |
² A Protective Mechanism of Visible Red Light in Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts: Enhancement of GADD45A-Mediated DNA Repair Activity; Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017) 137, 466-474.
³ Non-ionizing radiation cannot disrupt the atoms and molecules within the body, and therefore cannot damage tissue in living organisms.